Barefoot drivers/riders, holler!

'Tis the season again. If you own a motor vehicle, or at least have access to one, and drive/ride it in bare feet, give us a shout out.

 

SHOUT OUT......



Cheers Glen.

 

Whaddya operate, Glen?

 

Drive and ride barefoot.

 

well i guess i usually drive barefoot when it's not super cold out. not that i'm a crazy person who thinks not wearing shoes is a major life decision, but yeah, i'm usually not wearing them when i drive.

 

I don't like driving barefoot, I find my feet slip off the pedals so I think it's dangerous, for me at least.

 

I drive barefeet all the time.

 

I'm just the opposite; I have better control of the pedals.

 

this happens to me no matter what is or is not on my feet.

 

Well I usually wear my combat boots and they have grip. My feet are extremely smooth.

 

I drive barefoot most of the time, better control.

 

I drive barefoot. Possibly the reason the clutch in my car is lasting longer than expected.
On the rare occasions I drive with shoes on, my clutch control is clunky and abrupt.

 

I totally agree. When I drive my manual transmission truck, I very much prefer the feeling of the gears engaging that I get through my bare foot.

 

Wrote this before, I came up with this idea to keep my shoes in the car instead of the house to break the habit of throwing them on in the morning and to avoid the hassle of having to look for them to take with me in case I was going someplace I did not feel like bare footing at. Anyway I kept them in the trunk. Any new bare footers trying to strengthen their feet, straighten toes by loosing the shoes, the keep them in the car rule helped me hit the next level.


When I first started driving barefoot it felt a little odd I guess the same as bare footing in other "off carpet" situations did in the beginning. That sense that I was missing something and "bare" and had diminished ability cause of my "fragile" feet.


I quickly got used to driving barefoot, the real hard part was later after driving barefoot all the time in situations where I had to drive with shoes on came along. The reverse was more odd.

I am so used to the instant sensory feedback of knowing exactly when my foot is on the peddle from being able to feel it bare foot it feels very clumsily with shoes on.

Also I got so used to doing the accelerator and even break peddle by curling my toes-flexing mid foot but with shoes on suddenly its all back to the using the ankle joint only. What a hassle doing small speed adjustments on the accelerator with the ankle joint only and the heel of the shoe pivoting on the floor.

Unless you have really flexible shoes that's it, all you have is the ankle joint. Try curling your toes/ flexing mid foot in sneakers and see if the sole bends at all. Nope.

Modern vehicles are mostly "fly by wire" these days. All the old arguments against barefoot driving from decades ago, drum and cable brakes that took a real stomping are bunk now.

If driving with shoes is better and safer then so is doing the steering with boxing gloves on instead of bare handed !!

 

I can’t remember the the last time I wore shoes while driving

 

I love to drive barefoot. Much easier to control the pedals.

 

it might be a good idea in certain road rage situations.

 

I like to keep THESE handy for close encounters:

 

Too many people in my state have pistol permits to do anything but avoid road rage situations. Avoid eye contact and keep going.

“An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.” ― Robert A. Heinlein

Its true too. When I lived in the north east in a state with strict gun laws hot head drivers were much more prevalent. People here know starting with strangers might not go well.

And these days with airbags playing demolition derby is not so much of an option either. Ram disable go. Airbag could pop out and mess up your exit.

 

I was just about to post a topic on this very thing. I do sometimes drive barefoot. Not too often and usually have my shoes with me, but it was suggested to me one time and I decided to try it and liked it.