There’s No Place Like Home

All around you are the fluttering of wings, the squawking of monkeys, a cackling, screeching witch, and attached to your feet are glistening, ruby shoes. In your mind you sum up an image of Kansas, Auntie Em and Uncle Henry sitting around the farmhouse table, tumbleweeds rolling around outside. You snap your heels together 3 times, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home,” you chant, closing your eyes. You open them to find not the idyllic country home you imagined, but a sea of red lights and bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway. Sighing, you inch forward and collide into the car in front of you, one glistening, ruby heel caught under the gas pedal.

 

When we leave for work in the morning or to go out in the evening the last thing we’re thinking about is proper driving footwear. Usually we’re more concerned with how well these sandals go with our outfit or if these heels make our calves look defined. However, proper footwear is an underappreciated topic, one that more people should consider when driving. For instance, if you’re wearing a thick soled shoe you cannot properly gauge the pressure being applied to the pedals, or if you’re wearing flip flops you could get the thong caught on the gas or brake pedal.

 

While there are no laws that dictate footwear, safety is something we should always consider. Heels often have a tendency to slip, applying more pressure to whatever pedal we’re pressing, or getting caught under the pedal. Sandals and flip flops usually do not have the traction on the sole needed to effectively hold the pedal and can also slip and get caught underneath. Thick soled Vans or clogs can inhibit our feeling, thus applying too much or too little pressure, and wide soled shoes can press on both pedals at once without the driver realizing. Even driving barefoot is dangerous, while you are able to gauge accurate pressure, your feet will often slip more easily off the pedals and you are more susceptible to injuries. Again, there are no federal or state laws against driving barefoot (in an automobile, but there are laws against driving motorcycles barefoot), but local lawmakers can and have enacted rules about driving without shoes. For instance, if you get in an accident and it is found out you were driving barefoot, you can be cited for reckless driving.

 

Things to consider when choosing driving shoes:

• The sole of the shoe is very important in determining what type of footwear to use. The sole should neither be too thick or too thin. It should not be too soft or too flexible and it should have enough grip on the pedal to avoid slipping.
• It should be lightweight to enable easy movement.
• It should not hinder ankle movement in working various pedals.
• It should not be unnecessarily wide as to cause stepping on two pedals at the same time.

There is no need to rush off and buy a new pair of driving shoes as a pair of tennis shoes, loafers, or flats should do the trick. Just try to be conscious of your footwear before you head out, and if you can, keep a pair of shoes in the car to use while driving, and change into your regular shoes when you get to your destination.

Unlike the beautiful ruby slippers of The Wizard of Oz, our shoes can’t be snapped three times to take us home. But with some careful planning, proper footwear will help ensure us a safe journey.