Is it illegal to drive in bare feet?

You might not have noticed it. But summer has apologetically arrived… more with a whimper than with a bang.

But for many of us, summer will eventually be a chance to throw off our shoes, get in the car and drive in our bare feet.

But is driving bare-footed legal? The simple answer is yes, providing you feel properly in control of the brake, clutch and gas, that is. For example, having slippery, wet feet after a dip in the sea may put other people on the road as well as your passengers at risk.

The benefits of driving bare-footed

• A complete sense of liberation! After all those months of wearing stuffy, often uncomfortable, tight-fitting shoes, here’s the chance to kick off that footwear and feel the warm air on your tootsies.

• Improved circulation! Your feet will thank you for giving them a chance to breathe

The perils of driving bare-footed

• Your ability to brake may be reduced. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) says our braking force becomes worse when we ditch our shoes.

So what better day to lose the shoes than today – Go Barefoot Day?

Go Barefoot Day
It’s the chance to run barefoot in the grass, kick off your footwear in the office or go on a shoeless drive. There is a serious side to the day. The worldwide Soles4Souls charity attempts to get shoes for 300 million of the world’s poorest children.