Do you drive barefoot?

Answer 1

I drive barefoot all the time. I find I have a better control over the vehicle, since the sole of my shoe is not deadening the sensations. I've driven both automatic and manual, large vehicles and small. I find I arrive at my destination feeling much better because my feet haven't been confined in a hot pair of shoes.

I challenge all you people claiming it's illegal to show me the statutes in your state saying it's illegal to drive barefoot. You'd think this was something that's sure to come up during driver's ed, but nobody I've ever spoken to has heard this during their driver's ed training. The lists I'm providing show no state that prohibits barefoot driving.

From Wikipedia: In the United States, widespread belief in the existence of laws against driving barefoot has been debunked as an urban legend. Members of the Society for Barefoot Living wrote letters to the highway patrols of all 50 states and were told by officials in each state that driving barefoot was not illegal.


From ask yahoo, with the source page cited below.

American States
Alabama:
Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is permitted. Exception: motorcycle rider.

Ohio:
Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is permitted but not recommended.

California:
Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is not prohibited.

Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming: Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is permitted.

Answer 2

I don't drive at all, but even so I know it's not illegal to drive barefoot, as one previous answerer has already posted. Unfortunately some others still insist on spreading this myth; please folks, check out the information provided and stop spreading folk tales.

Some cops (like some of the previous answerers) are convinced it's unsafe and even though they know it's not illegal may try to write you up for unsafe or reckless driving, however please see the links in the source, for two sites (one from the Michigan PD, one from an Australian newspaper) making it clear that driving barefoot is no more unsafe than many types of footwear that are regularly worn and could even be considered safer than many kinds of shoes.

Answer 3

Yeah, it doesn't really matter (as much) with an automatic transmission, but with a stick shift I'm much more likely to grind the gears if I'm wearing shoes! Barefoot, I can feel the rpms of the engine through the gas pedal, and I can feel the point at which the clutch engages, probably to within a quarter inch, maybe an eighth. There are little inconsistencies in the gas pedal, it kind of creeks, and I'm a lot less likely to be a leadfoot without shoes. I once felt a little crunch in the clutch pedal that was making it hard to fully shift, I had to push through the last quarter inch, and it kind of crunched, like a chiropractic adjustment each time. I replaced the clutch cable, and it was like having a new transmission! It turns out that there was a little spot of rust at the end of the cable at the tension adjustment, and you really couldn't feel the little crunch in the pedal with shoes on.
I can feel any slack in the master cylinder, if the seals are beginning to go, or if there is any air in the lines, and the brakes need to be bled. (you (I) can feel a kind of rumbling coming back up through the brake pedal) I can even kind of feel back if one of the wheel cylinders is sticking. I can even feel the wheel alignment, and how the wheel bearings are doing, or if the tires are unbalanced, through the soles of my feet. Most of that tactile feedback is wiped out by shoes. I once detected a bad fuel pump by the way it felt through the floorboards.
I've had a couple of scares wearing shoes that I haven't had driving barefoot. With shoes on, it's kind of hard to tell if you are stepping straight down on the brake pedal, and trust me, I can easily put 250 pounds of pressure on a break pedal, barefoot, in about 90 milliseconds when I need to! I can even pulse the breaks (antilock style) better without the interference of shoes. The controls feel mushy and unresponsive with shoes on. It feels like trying to control a video game with oven mits on, or turn a pancake with your hand in a cardboard glove. I've actually had my shod foot slip off the break pedal, when it never has unshod. That was the scare.

Answer 4

I always drive barefoot.

Answer 5

I drive barefoot whenever possible and it is NOT illegal. However, as previously mentioned a police officer can issue a citation for reckless driving if they think that driving barefoot was a contributing factor to a collision. Have flip flops just in case of a collision or in the very rare event an officer says to step out of the car--in the rare and unlikely event that it is necessary to remain on an asphalt shoulder of the road for longer, the soles will not urgently burn or blister when it is hotter in the air and later during the afternoon peak heat hours.

Answer 6

I don't drive barefoot myself, but if you choose to...it is entirely legal.
It being illegal to drive barefoot is simply an urban legend.

Answer 7

No, it is illegal to drive barefoot and also uncomfortable. Also, do not wear thongs, because they can snag while clutching possibly causing you to have an accident.
Remedy; keep a pair of comfortable shoes in the car for driving, then switch to your activity shoe when you arrive. Drive safe.

Answer 8

Sometimes if it's a long trip, especially in the summer. Love to kick those sandles right off.

Answer 9

I have, but I don't if i'm doing anything more than moving the car a meter or two.
it's illegal for one, plus if anything were to happen in an emergency, like misplace your foot on something sharp etc then you might not be able to stop, just feel a small pair of slip ons or something in the car.

Answer 10

All the time, for a clean car and for simple comfort, it I nice to have bare toes.