Driving without shoes - is it illegal?

There’s a great level of uncertainty surrounding whether or not it’s illegal to drive barefoot in the UK, with numerous reasons cited as to why you’re breaking the law if you do so.

While these may all be valid points, none of them are technically correct.

Read our road safety guide below to learn more.

Is it illegal to drive without shoes?

Here is the law in a nutshell: it is not illegal to drive in the UK without shoes on and the same applies for wearing flip flops.

You can get behind the wheel of a vehicle barefoot or while wearing flip flops, provided you are able to operate the controls safely. If you do so with wet feet, for example, you might be putting yourself, your passengers and other road users at risk by not being able to drive the car safely. This is illegal.

And while it's not illegal to drive without shoes on, that doesn’t mean it’s right.

According to the Driving Standards Agency – the body that regulates the UK driving test – “suitable shoes are particularly important behind the wheel. We would not recommend driving barefoot because you don’t have the same braking force with bare feet as you do with shoes on.”

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Footwear when driving

There are some basic guidelines you should follow when selecting footwear to drive in. Your shoe should:

• Have a sole no thicker than 10mm…
• … but the sole should not be too thin or soft.
• Provide enough grip to stop your foot slipping off the pedals.
• Not be too heavy.
• Not limit ankle movement.
• Be narrow enough to avoid accidentally depressing two pedals at once.

This does technically categorise some types of footwear – such as high-heels and flip-flops – unsuitable for piloting a car.

While light, flimsy and impractical footwear can be dangerous, so can sturdy, robust shoes, such as walking or snow boots.

It’s important to have a good base and grip to apply pressure to the pedals, but you need a certain degree of finesse to manipulate the controls. If not, you could strike the brake and accelerator together, producing a heart-in-mouth incident.

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What shoes should you not wear while driving?

It is advisable to not wear flip flops, sandals or high high shoes when driving. This is because it is not safe for you or other road users and doesn't give you the best chance of reacting quickly to a potential issue on the road.

You should be wearing shoes and trainers with a sole with grip and ankle support.