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The first week that I passed my test I decided to reposition the car in the multi story carpark where I lived. The flipflop formed a perfect U/bent back on itself and almost caused me to slam the car into a concrete block 2-3m's infront.
Never again.
People say 'what if you have a pebble between your barefoot and the pedal (where did that come from then?!).
Barefoot is best.
Its people in heals or heavy boots that arent in the best control IMO.
These muppets? RAC AA IAM Any driving instructor or company you can think of. The whole of Spain?
Germans and the french?
I think it is illegal to drive in bare feet as well...apparently they have less grip than a shoe on the pedals...
Ok parksie you genius.. What about all the billions of people in other countries where flip-flops are the preferred footwear?
Get a grip sonny
The fact that hora's crashed in flip-flops only illustrates my point..
I'll be smacked in the gob if that's true.
That said, if it is illegal, it'll only make it dirtier.
Edit: Yunki, what's your point?! Stop being all fighty without a point!
Dickbarton- plastic, leather souled, heels, wellies shoes etc? 🙂
My point is that only an incompetent person would be able to blame a purely on the fact that they're not wearing stout footwear
Have you ever driven in a country where flip flops are the preferred footwear?
Go to the extreme what do race and rally drivers wear?
You're missing the point Yunki. Flip flops increase risk of something going wrong - that's all there is to it.
Im going to apply yunki logic to my point now.
Ive never had a crash, driven all kinds of car and trucks in many different countries on road off road on track. Never worn flip flops to drive. Coincidence i think not.
I've yet to see someone who can walk properly in flip flops, let alone drive.
Race and rally drivers want optimum performance.. I'm just pootling to the shops or doing the school run, driving back from the beach or the pub..
I don't need optimum performance from a driving shoe..
flip flops don't increase the risk.. Idiots increase the risk
only an idiot can fail to operate a pair of flip flops
Hmm well don't do it in Spain or you'll get a nasty fine.
Personally I don't think you can drive properly with something than easily slips off your foot ...
Pootling about fine until someone does something silly and you need to react quick.
I prefer it when people steering a ton and a half of steel are wearing sensible footwear tbh.
I think the UK is the only country in the whole widest world to call them flip-flops.
Thongs, gentlemen please. Thongs, not flip-flops.
Now if you'd like to replace the words and re-read the thread, some people like to drive in thongs, some don't and some like it bare[s]back[/s]foot...
Im not walking round with thongs on my feet. I'd be arrested.
I was just interested because I did it this afternoon, and I didn't like the way they move about under my feet.
I managed to circumnavigate the extra traffic around maidstone caused by Operation Stack, without maiming anyone, but think I feel happier wearing trainers or the like.
parkesie - Member
Im going to apply yunki logic to my point now.
Ive never had a crash, driven all kinds of car and trucks in many different countries on road off road on track. I've [s]Never[/s] worn flip flops to drive since I passed my test. [s]Coincidence i think not.[/s] The ability to operate flip-flops has never escaped me.
YMMV of course.
I wear Cool Corporation flip flops which are the most comfy thing I've ever worn . Downside is though they are "oversized" for sand wear and are almost SIX INCHES wide . I can press two pedals at once in the car so a definately no no .
A driver was wearing flip flops when he crashed into a lollipop lady and pupils on a school crossing in south Wales, a court has heard.
But under questioning, Robert Bell, 62, said he regularly wore them and that would not have impaired his driving.
"I remember seeing the driver's eyes were wide open and gripping his hands tight on the steering wheel. It was all happening so fast.
Someone somewhere crashed a car when their foot slipped off a pedal.. They weren't wearing flip flops, therefore we shouldn't drive without flip flops..
this is your logic parksie
Some people crash [i]because[/i] they are wearing flip flops other people crash [i]despite[/i] wearing appropriate footwear. The difference might be a bit subtle for some.
Wearing something that easily slips off your feet to drive is idiotic.
Anyone defending this idiocy should never be allowed to drive.
A foot in a shoe slipping off a pedal is different to a flip flop jamming a throttle open because its come off and got wedged. Flip flops introduce a unnecesary risk that can be avoided by wearing more appropriate foot wear. Im not saying you absolutely will crash because your wearing flip flops just that the risk of you crashing is increased because you drive wearing them.
flip flopps?
Pah try driving in Alpinestar MX boots.
No feeling whatsoever from the sole and about 0.0003 degrees ankle movement. Your right foot pushes the brake and accelerator at the same time and your left foot pushes the clutch and brake at the same time.
It's fine as long as you keep your helmet on though. 😛
Illegal to drive in flip flops over here. Guardia Civil love to dish out the 250€ fines for that one. Easy money!
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.
Driving with anything other than a flat shoe can be very dangerous. Flip-flops have killed before. In 2011, three people died when a woman driving a Toyota Highlander lost control of her vehicle after her flip-flop got caught under the accelerator. Wearing flip-flops can raise your risk of a serious crash.
parkesie - Member
A driver was wearing flip flops when he crashed into a lollipop lady and pupils on a school crossing in south Wales, a court has heard.
But under questioning, Robert Bell, 62, said he regularly wore them and that would not have impaired his driving."I remember seeing the driver's eyes were wide open and gripping his hands tight on the steering wheel. It was all happening so fast.
I seem to remember it being blamed on a coughing fit or a fainting it, not the flip flops. But don't let the fact that people almost died stop you from making vacuous connections.
Ahem
District Judge Bodfan Jenkins agreed that the defendant had been coughing - but not badly enough that it caused him to pass out.
He said: “You failed to deal with it properly and as a result your foot ended up on the throttle instead of the brake.
“Your misjudgment had horrendous consequences.
“This is a tragic case for all those involved.”
Ok so not blamed entirely on flip flops but not entirely due to coughing.
Not blamed at all on flip flop, from those quotes?
Blamed on flip flops by prosecution quotes which have been attributed to be me being vacuous. And not caring that people were nearly killed.
A video from america including how a flip flop gets stuck towards the end
Someone was killed
Flip-flops have killed before
Quote if the day right there.
Anyway, it's a floppy floppy nay from me.
I bet there are many more crashes caused by blokes gawping at the lovely ladies in their summer notmuchness than there are by flip flops.
TBH if your flip flops fall off your feet while driving then your feet are on the wrong way 8)
On holiday in Spain a couple of weeks ago the hotel waiter rode in on a Kawasaki ninja with flipflops, shorts and a full face helmet. 😯
Dont google image motorbike flip flop 😯
Driving in flip flops seems to me to be a typical over-confidence/inability to properly assess risk issue which represents a lot of people's driving.
On related note, if you're overweight (therefore can't move quickly) and wearing flipflops, don't walk out in front of a car coming down the hill 30+mph... I really thought he has going to get hit, trying to speed-shuffle across as he realised he'd misjudged the speed of the car 😯
Dont google image motorbike flip flop
Holy crap, I just did. 😯
parkesie - MemberDont google image motorbike flip flop
I just did too ... 😯
Going to have my dinner now ...
Been on the back of a motor bike in the US wearing T shirt and shorts... no helmets and bare feet.
Although we only went around the block at 20-30mph the sight of tarmac 'rushing' under my feet scared the crap out of me 😯
Learnt a lesson trying to ride a motocrosser in flip flops, the gear change isn't very smooth and rips your feet to bits
Used to have major problems with the old Volvo floor mats - they used to be like a hard plastic tray and would occasionally slide forward and jam the accelerator - not much fun in a t5-r...
Occasionally drive barefoot in the van now, but never checked the legality of that....
This is a good thread.
Flip flop.
FWIW I generally don't, but would if the need arose.
Flip flops don't kill people; people who crash cars whilst wearing flip flops kill people.
Where do we stand on driving in wellies ?
Drive barefoot often- often walk about bare foot too.... Bad habit i picked up in nz. Ozzies dont like the bare foot thing either. Seem to think im a bogan.
I bloody love cycling in flip-flops. They're a godsend in tropical climate trips, and if it's going to rain on a warm days ride.
They work a treat on DX flats. Sadly my DMR's tend to feel too lumpy underfoot.
The secret is to buy ones with rubber soles, or just a rubber bottom layer.
I drove 100 miles today in flip flops. Didn't kill anyone, or have any near misses either. I once did a summer ascent of Snowdon via Crib Goch in them (admittedly while in my slightly less-responsible youth), which was great fun - very tactile feeling on the rocks. And I also once went for a ten mile run in the Chilterns in flip flops when I forgot to bring my running shoes in the car. No one was harmed in any of these escapades.
I think they are possibly the ultimate footwear - as billions across Asia wearing them right now - will attest to.
Attempting to race some mountain guides back down the Mt Rinjani volcano on Lombok, Indonesia in the late 90s was an eye-opener. I was wearing my new natty Merrell hiking shoes, while they were in $1 flip flops and carrying 20kgs of cooking equipment strapped to bamboo poles over their shoulders. Despite my best efforts, I could barely keep up with them - as they leapt downhill at speed on greasy rocks and gravel.
Flip flops didn't seem to impinge their performance one iota.
Manual car - flip flop would get caught under the clutch pedal, making it feel a bit unsafe, like something could go wrong (so I didn't).
Auto - no problem.
That's what I've found.
I think they are possibly the ultimate footwear - as billions across Asia wearing them right now - will attest to.
I think the argument is suggesting that Asia would see a reduction in road fatalities if they stopped driving in flip flops.
Possibly.