This is a question we’ve been asked many times over the years, so we have decided to look into the law a little bit deeper!
In short…
In the UK it is not illegal to drive a car on public roads whilst wearing flip flops. But funnily enough you are not allowed to wear them when riding a motorcycle or moped!
However…
If you are pulled over in your car and the police believe that your footwear is having an impact on your driving they can take action. This is also the case if you are involved in an accident, regardless of fault.
The maximum fine is £5000 and nine penalty points on your driving licence. In the UK you only need 12 points to get an automatic totting up ban or 6 points if you have held your licence for under 2 years!
Insurance issues
If you have a crash or cause an accident whilst wearing flip flops or driving barefoot you can in theory also invalidate your insurance if they believe that this has caused an issue.
This could mean that you would be made to pay for damage to other peoples cars and property plus be in for some hefty legal bills.
The solution / our view
We love wearing flip flops but we don’t wear them when driving. For us, we always switch to trainers whilst driving and then put our flip flops back on when we have completed our journey.
It’s just not worth the risk and I’ve personally worn flip flops whilst driving once before and it wasn’t easy or enjoyable to be honest!
I will note that this was on private land and not near other people or cars!
DISCLAIMER
All the information written in this blog post is believed to be correct at the time of publishing. We cannot be held responsible for any mistakes. If you are ever in doubt with legal questions, we suggest consulting a suitably qualified solicitor or legal professional.
Phew! We don’t like small print but as you will understand we had to add this to cover ourselves!
Updated: Friday 14th June 2024