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-   -   Driving barefoot / without shoes.... (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/25683-driving-barefoot-without-shoes-9.html)

I realized barefoot is a pain on the foot (the uneven pressure kind of irritates). In short drives it does not show up. Then one day forced myself to drive with shoes (on GQ!). After first couple of hours, the comfort of shoes gets on.

Now, even though I don't like driving with loose footwear, driving without feels a lot strange.. like walking barefoot on a road!

Driving barefoot is thousand times better than driving with long heels.

I don't know why but I fall ill if I drive barefoot.
In fact if ride my bike wearing open slippers for even a couple of kilometers, I fall ill.

Otherwise I very rarely fall ill.
But Cold Feet are one of the few things that triggers a fever in me.

I prefer doing my long distance drives barefoot.

Short distance within the city leaves us with hardly any choice.

But most importantly driving (long/short) with loose footwear can be dangerous.

I'm used to both. Whenever I'm driving with chappals or slippers I prefer driving barefoot especially long drives. When driving with shoes, I don't find the need to remove it.

But as babu.sundaram pointed out, after long drives my right foot starts aching.

Many start to learn driving without foot wear so as to get the feel of pedals to distinguish them. That habit persists. However, some have to try hard to get accustomed to drive with footwear.

So long guys. I am out of this club now. Have been driving with sandals since last few months. I have switched to shoes now. No more bare foot driving for me.

Frankly i find this habit disgusting and a social embarassment.
Imagine having your guest drive up to the 5-star hotel where you are hosting an event, and he hops out with smelly socks and shoes in hand :Shockked:

True, have always wondered how the painted ladies who go clickety-clack on stilettos actually drive. I wish car could sense high-heels and start flashing rear red-lights while in motion.

If driving barefoot, please ensure that the footwear is not left loose in the driver foot-well area. This could get entangled with the A/B/C when driving and risk the safety of all.

(Though this has been mentioned earlier on this same thread, repeating it again, due to the safety considerations).

I learnt to drive with shoes on and generally always drive with shoes on.

I tried driving without shoes but with socks and have found it comfortable too so nowadays when I am driving long distance, I remove my shoes and put it in the passenger side footwell and then drive. Sometimes I will just drive with shoes, so there is no fixed rule.

I am basically comfortable with both so no issues either way.

I prefer barefoot driving. But there is one huge problem. If the journey is beyond a few hours, the place where I rest my pivot my foot on the floor mat starts paining because of the mat - I have a standard rubber mat. Is there any luxurious mat available - which is plush and thick and into which my feet will sink? Something which feels great under the feet.

@carboy: does 3M's nomad matting count?

Driving barefoot will ensure one ends up using his right toe to control the accelerator pedal. If the road is smooth that requires only cruising at constant speeds, the Toe will start aching after a while.

Not to forget the burning sensation at the base of the ankle due to constant resting on the floor mat and slow rubbing/movements frequently due to car's vibration(s) or shaking or even road surface.

By driving barefoot, your Toe is doing all the job and it will start paining. When driving with proper (Read comfortable for you) shoes, you are using the complete base of your leg to control the pedal(s) and certainly the pain/fatigue levels will be on the lower side.

Where can I get this? Is it available in car mat form?



I have no pain in the toes. My only pain is at the base of the ankle. That starts after 2 hours of driving approximately. I was think that some plush mat would help.

This is such an interesting question which is perhaps underestimated by many drivers. Someone commented on my driving style yesterday so I thought I'd write my thoughts on this.

I learned driving with shoes. The instructor was not concerned with footwear at all. In fact on a few days I even wore loose sandals (without realising the dangers) but he assumed it worked for me. Consequently I believed that footwear was a must while driving. I did try but soon realised how dangerous slippers and loose sandals are. Over time i experimented with barefeet driving -- which I found to be an acceptable substitute as well. Generalising a bit:

Driving with shoes or closed smug fitting footwear:
- is convenient
- is hygenic (no touching dirty pedals)
- is little less energy-intensive at times (weight of shoes does part of the work of depressing pedal)
- is considered 'normal' by most folks (no weird looks, judgments)

But....
- shoes can reduce tactile feedback a bit, especially with the brake (necessitating harder pedal pushing)
- large shoes (either design or size) are sometimes squeezed for space in some cars (this is highly dangerous)
- large soles can sometimes hit adjoining pedal (also very dangerous)
- heavy formal shoes or boots with good (but weighty soles) require constant energy to keep *from* depressing the pedals (especially accelerator). If you dont pay attention, the car might slowly accelerate.
- some shoes with rigid soles can be damaged due to prolonged driving usage, especially formals. The sole can come undone or the leather can develop folds.

With barefeet driving:

- tactile feedback is great. Every tremour and vibration is passed up your foot. I find this helps in congested roads where frequent precise movement is needed.
- arch of healthy feet matches contours of most pedals allowing better efficiency
- can be very inconvienent especially with passengers or if you go to formal events where there is no time to put footwear back on or if you have to frequently step out
- if you transmit force using the ball of the foot (not heel or toes) there is no discomfort at all
- is better when driving a new vehicle for the first time since sensory perception is greater allowing better calibration of pedal force.

Bathroom slippers, floaters, chappals and sandals are all HIGHLY dangerous to wear while driving. So are oversized rugged hiking shoes with gripping heels that weigh a lot. I suspect high heels and platforms are as well.

All said, I personally prefer barefoot driving but practically never am able to do so more than 10% of the time. Nonetheless I feel it is important everyone 'tries' both styles (with and without footwear) so that in an emergency there is no problem. The right footwear (or lack of it) makes a substantial difference to driving experience as well as contributes to road safety.