Can you drive barefoot? Questions & answers about insurance and co.

In summer, the parking lots in front of outdoor pools and quarry ponds fill up. Many opt for the car to transport towels, provisions and sunscreen for the whole family. Many do without sturdy shoes for the short distance. But are you allowed to drive with flip flops or even barefoot?

Driving barefoot: Which shoes are mandatory?

There is no legal regulation. This means that neither driving barefoot nor wearing rubber boots (view on Amazon), high heels, flip flops (view on Amazon) or similar, rather unsafe footwear at the wheel is prohibited. However, out of your own interest, you should still make sure you wear shoes that give you a secure hold. This is not only safer for you, but also for other road users.

According to the technical experts of the ADAC (to the source) your shoes should the following requirements able to fulfill:

• Her does not slip off the pedals.
• you can one good adhesion between shoes and pedals produce, i.e. the muscle power is transferred well via the friction. In short: You can safely step on the gas without stepping into the void.
• your footwear does not get caught due to loops or the like.
• Your shoes are not to wideso you don’t accidentally press two pedals at once.

A notice: Nobody sees your shoes in the car. For example, you can throw a pair of more stylish or beach-ready shoes in the trunk if you’re going to an event or the seaside. Your safety comes first. Therefore, your changing pair should not remain in the driver’s footwell, because you are also taking a risk with that.

Proper footwear: That’s what the insurance company says

Even if the legislator keeps out of the choice of your footwear, the Insurance in the event of an accident is still partly to blame reproach. Even if you are not actually the culprit and the right of way was taken away from you, flip flops can be fatal to you.

The argument then is that with the right footwear, you probably would have achieved sufficient stopping power to avoid the collision. From the point of view of the insurance company, you are acting with gross negligence. With fully comprehensive insurance, it can happen that you either have to pay for the damage to your vehicle completely yourself or that the deductible increases significantly.

Tip: The least that happens with these shoes

To figure out, which shoes give you the most control over your carhas the Austrian Car, Motorcycle and Touring Club (ÖAMTC) held a practice test. It should be demonstrated what can go wrong with the wrong footwear.

The result was clear: With open, loose-fitting shoes and barefoot you lack the feeling for the machine below you the most. Switch to athletic shoes instead, because that was the easiest way for the subjects to complete everyday driving manoeuvres. Incidentally, in Austria you can even be prosecuted if the accident could have been prevented by a sturdy pair of shoes.

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