You may have done it on a hot summer day, driving a car in flip flops. Closed shoes are much too warm at this point, so you get into the car with your slippers and drive away. You may wonder whether this is permitted, safe and whether you are insured in the event of an accident. It is not prohibited in the Netherlands in 2017, but it can result in a fine in other countries. If you cause an accident while wearing slippers, the insurance company may only compensate the damage suffered by the other party.
What are the dangers of driving with flip flops?
(Toe) slippers do not sit firmly on your foot. While driving, a slipper can slip off your foot and get caught on one of the pedals. In addition, you can also slide off a pedal with a slipper. These events can cause you to become distracted and take a break from the road. Distraction accidents happen quickly. Driving with slippers or slippers therefore increases the risk of an accident than driving with sturdy shoes.
Research from the University of Leeds has shown that you lose an average of one tenth of a second when you go from the accelerator to the brake pedal in slippers. It has also been found that there is three percent less braking force when pressing the brake pedal compared to sturdy shoes. At a speed of 90 kilometers per hour, this will increase your braking distance by about 7.5 meters for these two factors.
Advice Safe Traffic Netherlands
Veilig Verkeer Nederland indicates that driving in flip flops is not convenient and unwise. Still, driving in flip flops is not made a big problem. Excessive speed and alcohol in traffic are seen as a much bigger problem by Veilig Verkeer Nederland.
CBR advice
The Central Bureau for Driving (CBR) indicates that someone must be able to operate a car safely. If someone wears slippers during driving lessons and he drives safely, then according to the CBR there is nothing wrong. In case of unsafe situations due to driving in flip flops, the CBR intervenes. The CBR does recommend that you do not make it difficult for yourself and that you wear comfortable shoes.
Fine for driving with flip flops
In the Netherlands and Belgium, you will not be fined in 2017 if you drive with flip-flops. However, driving with flip-flops is prohibited in Spain and France. If an officer catches you driving a car in slippers or slippers in 2017, you can be fined more than ninety euros. So be sensible and wear sturdy shoes when driving. Sturdy shoes are shoes that do not slide off your foot quickly. This can be, for example, shoes with laces or Velcro.
Insurance
If you caused an accident and were wearing flip-flops at the time of the accident, this can have major financial consequences for you. Driving a car with flip-flops increases the risk of an accident. For this reason, many insurers only reimburse the damage of the other party. You must pay for damage to your car yourself, even if you are fully insured. If you are curious about how this is taken out with your insurance, read the policy conditions of your car insurance.
What to do about heat in the car
There are a number of ways to cool your car that allow you to wear sturdy shoes instead of flip flops.
Air conditioning
You can use the air conditioner to make it cooler in your car. It is best not to immediately turn on the air conditioning fully. This can cause your car’s engine to overheat.
Windows open
If you don’t have air conditioning, you can open the windows of your car for a while. For a quick result, you can open the windows against each other, making it cool in your car quickly.
Stopover
If you have warm feet and the above solutions do not help, you can consider making a stopover to air your feet. Do this in a safe location, such as near a parking lot.