Imagine that you’re cruising along in your car, obeying the speed limit, and using your turn signals appropriately. You can feel the gas and brake pedals under your feet because you’ve kicked off your shoes. Then a cop car approaches, and you get pulled over. If you’re like a lot of Georgia drivers (or drivers from any state for that matter!), you may be worried about getting ticketed for driving barefoot.
If you get ticketed, though, it’ll be for something else because as it turns out, driving barefoot in Georgia is totally legal. Somehow this myth has persisted for decades, but in fact, no states in the U.S. have outlawed shoeless cruising. There is an important exception to the rule, and that’s for motorcyclists. When driving a motorcycle, you are required to have footwear of some kind on for safety reasons.
Speaking of safety, though it is perfectly legal to drive without shoes on, it may not always be safe or wise to do so. Some drivers wearing high heels or sandals like flip-flops may opt to kick off their footwear. It may be more comfortable, and in the cases of those two kinds of footwear, it may also be safer as heels can easily slip off the pedals and sandals can catch on the gas or brake pedals. If you do opt to remove your shoes, be sure to place them away from the driver’s side of the car to ensure they don’t roll around or otherwise distract you and become a hazard.
To be both safe and protected from liability should you get into an accident, it’s best to be wearing well-fitted footwear,” said Marietta accident lawyer Ramiro Rodriguez, Jr.
When it comes to accident cases, you don’t want to give the other side any reason to suggest you were being negligent or not driving safely. If you regularly wear heels, sandals, or other footwear that’s not optimal for driving, you can keep an extra pair of shoes in the car to wear while on the road.
When it comes to bare feet, it’s best to save them for the beach or the backyard. For more driving safety tips, visit our website at GAInjuryAdvocates.com.
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