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Flip Flops – Great for the summer, not so great for the car!
Thursday, 22nd August 2013

Flip flops are a popular summer shoe to wear, keeping your feet cool and looking fashionable, but flip flops can also be very dangerous behind the wheel. One in ten drivers has had a near miss when driving in them – getting the flip flop stuck underneath the pedal.

33% of motorists wear flip flops to drive in, even though 1.4 million people have near misses or accidents every year because of them.

Flip flops have been proven more dangerous to drive in than high heels, as it’s more difficult to break. They slow breaking time down to 0.13 seconds, travelling 3.5 meters further when travelling at 60mph. moving your foot from the accelerator to the break takes 0.2 seconds in wedges compared to 0.4 seconds in flip flops – that’s twice as slow. Less force is also applied to the breaks when wearing flip flops.

In a survey taken by Sheila’s Wheels 27% of people admitted to having a motoring mishap whilst wearing flip flops with 7% of these admitting that the shoes were the cause of a near miss or accident.

60% of motorists drive in unsuitable footwear and 20% continue to drive in them after a near miss or accident. 36% of women take separate shoes to drive in, compared to just 12% of men. One in ten women are said to have driven in shoes that they struggle to walk in. Where’s the logic in that?

20% of drivers have never even considered footwear to affect safety behind the wheel – not only to themselves but to passengers too!

Sheila’s Wheels have come up with a portable accessory to customise flip flops, offering heel support. It is designed to scrunch up and fit in your purse/pocket – creating the ultimate fashion accessory for the car and handbag this summer. It is stylish, safe and definitely worth the investment.

According to Sheila’s Wheels the top 5 footwear that Brits struggle to drive in are:

  1. Flip Flops (51%)
  2. Bare Feet (49%)
  3. Wedges (38%)
  4. Espadrilles (25%)
  5. Sandals (18%)


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