A driving instructor has shared the type of shoe motorists should avoid when driving.
As you might already know, driving in the wrong type of footwear could land you with a hefty fine.
Basically, if your footwear or clothing prevents you from properly using controls in the vehicle, you could end up in trouble with the law.
If you were pulled over and an officer believed your footwear to be inappropriate, you could be whacked with a 'Driving Without Due Care and Attention' offence.
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The defence is legally defined as 'allowing the standard of driving to fall below that of a competent and careful driver' and it comes with a fixed fine of £100 along with three points on your driving licence.
However, according to RAC: "The maximum penalty here is nine points on your licence and a £5,000 fine."
And - if you go through the courts - you could also be banned from driving altogether.
An instructor from Next Level Driving School took to TikTok to describe the sort of shoes you should give a miss before you get behind the wheel.
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In the clip, he explains: “So I just had somebody in the car who wore a pair of shoes that had massive soles on them.
“And it affected the drive. The way she was using the controls of the car - she did really well but when you’re wearing shoes when you’re driving, it should be flat. You should be able to feel the pedals, because if you can’t it will definitely affect the way you drive the car.”
In the comments, one follower shared his own experiences with dodgy footwear while driving, writing: “Very true. Whenever I wore shoes with huge soles on them I couldn’t feel pedals at all and felt extremely dangerous and unsafe went straight back to change them.”
In a follow-up comment, he stressed: “It’s surprising how footwear can affect driving.”
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And told another follower that ‘something that has support is important’.
According to the Driving Standards Agency, your driving shoes should:
- Have a sole no thicker than 10mm
- 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
Under Rule 97 of the Highway Code, drivers are advised they must have 'footwear and clothing which does not prevent you using the controls in the correct manner'.
Claire Reid