Silly question #24: Can we drive in jandals or barefoot?

Tuesday, 19 December 2017

Aaah - summer holidays. The days when we give our minds and bodies a rest from the daily grind. We give our feet a rest too, getting rid of the shoes and either wear jandals or go barefoot.

But hang on.

Here's a silly question: Is it legal to drive while wearing jandals or with no footwear at all?

The quick answer is that it is not illegal. You are allowed to drive a vehicle wearing just about anything - which is just as well, otherwise motorists would probably be banned from driving in footwear ranging from gumboots to high heels.

But driving in jandals is frowned on by the likes of the police and the Automobile Association, because it can be dangerous particularly if the weather is wet, which increases the potential for your foot to slip off a vehicle's pedals - especially the brake pedal.

**READ MORE:

* Silly Question #23: Windows down, or air conditioning?

* Silly question #22: Debating the merits of sunroofs

* Silly car question #12: how should I hold a steering wheel**

And that adds an interesting consideration to this question.

The law says it is illegal to drive a vehicle in an unsafe manner, and the proverbial jury remains out as to whether wearing a pair of jandals or being barefoot could constitute 'unsafe' in the event of an accident. 

Road safety experts say if you are wearing jandals, it's safer to slip them off and drive barefoot.

But they add that it is much safer to not drive this way at all, and to wear a decent pair of shoes with treaded soles while operating your vehicle.

And what about motorcycles? The same thing applies.

While you must wear a helmet while riding, it's not illegal to not wear shoes. But the mind does boggle as to what could happen to a bare pair of feet in a crash.

So - jandals, barefoot or shoes?

The answer is entirely up to the person behind the wheel of a vehicle.