Driving in steel toe cap boots is legal, as long as your steel toe cap shoes do not affect the way you drive, and control your foot, you can always wear to drive.

In the event that these steel toe cap boots disturb you from controlling your car properly, then, they may be deemed illegal and you can be fined for driving in an inappropriate boot.

There are those who will argue that it is not safe to drive a car without steel toe-cap boots. They will start by saying that the pedals and the gas and brake pedals will hurt your feet if you do not wear steel toe-cap boots.

This is simply not true as it is only the top of your feet where the pain would be felt because of the pedals. Anything that will deter your driving is termed illegal in any state.

Is driving in certain shoes illegal?

Yes, although some laws permit you to drive in work boots or with sandals, flip-flops, some don’t. So, knowing your state laws for driving is important as well.

The problem here is that the driver’s feet are extremely important. If you don’t believe me, try driving without using your feet for anything except shifting once in a while.

A car is made for hands-free operation; steering, braking, and accelerating all work best when done by the hands or arms rather than by leaning on your feet or legs.

Also, according to some other laws, the only time a boot becomes illegal to drive in would be if it were an actual shoe/boot combination, such as a cowboy boot with an attached sole, or if it were made to be worn as an article of clothing.

In those cases, it would be considered to be your foot and would therefore not be allowed to touch any pedals or controls during the operation of a motor vehicle.

What shoes is it illegal to drive in?

Flip-flops

What is so bad about flip-flops? They are thin, but not too thin. They are flexible, but not too flexible. They are made of rubber, which is grippy, but not sticky.

They have a relatively thick sole. All of these design features make them good for walking on beaches, but terrible for driving cars on paved roads.

I don’t mean to pick on flip-flops in particular, although they’re especially bad because they’re so easy to slip off. Any kind of open shoe that could fall off easily is a problem.

Also, wearing flip-flops while driving can leave your toes vulnerable to being caught by the pedals or crushed by the brake pedal in an accident.

You can still get hurt even if you’ve got on regular shoes, especially if they have open backs or are made of mesh, but flip-flops are definitely worse.

High heels

Sometimes you have to be in a situation where you have to wear high heels right? You don’t have to drive with them, though.

High heels are bad for driving for three reasons. First, they reduce your ability to feel the car, so you are less likely to feel when something is wrong with it.

Secondly, they make it harder for you to get into the right posture for driving. Thirdly, they increase the drag on the car, so that even if the rest of the car is in perfect working order, you will use more gas if you’re wearing high heels.

Wearing high heels while driving throws your balance off and can give you a nasty bruise if you hit the brake suddenly or if you have an accident.

Large work boots

Large work boots are very comfortable. Unfortunately, they have the potential to cause you to crash your car. The reason is that when you are driving, your feet are resting on the gas and brake pedals.

If your foot slides off the pedal while it is pressing down, you will press that pedal with a force proportional to how hard your foot was pressing it before it slid off.

This means that if you are wearing large work boots and you push down with your full weight (say, because you’ve stepped on something slippery), the force on the pedal will be equal to twice your weight.

If your car has a normal brake system, this will be more than enough force to make the brakes lock up and skid the car. This can be disastrous: it’s like hitting a wall at high speed.

Because work boots have laces, they can get caught under the brake pedal, potentially causing an accident if the driver has to hit the brakes hard.

Water shoes

Water shoes are good for water, but not for driving. They are made of neoprene. Neoprene is somewhat stretchy. If you are driving, the shoe will slide on the brakes or clutches, and you will find yourself doing a kind of controlled stumble.

That is, you know exactly where your foot is, but your body isn’t under your control. If you try the use the brakes or steer while wearing wet water shoes. You can’t tell how fast you are going or where you are going to end up.

Why shoes are good for driving?

Shoes are good for driving because shoes hold your foot in the position the car needs it in.

You can press the pedals firmly without having to tense up your leg muscles every time. The sole provides support that lets you push more easily on the balls of your feet than on the heels.

The leather uppers give you a stable grip on the pedals so that your foot is less likely to slip off accidentally.

Shoes protect your feet from burning up when you step on the brakes. And most important of all, they protect your feet from the heat emanating from the car innards.

Final words

A lot of people will not drive in certain shoes. To some, the idea of driving in dress shoes or heavy shoes is out of the question. Their feet are too precious to be crushed into a footrest and driving barefoot or in socks is unthinkable.

Driving in shoes is more acceptable, but some brands that will endanger your driving are not an option for most state laws.

Other potentially dangerous footwear can be caught under pedals or stuck between two pedals while flip flops that can slip off your feet if you have to slam on the brakes.

Water shoes can get slippery when wet so it is important to have the clearest idea of what to wear on your feet before going behind the wheels.