Does Barefoot driving save your shoes?

There has been talk for years as to the legality of driving barefoot. It seems that research on the web claims that laws against barefoot driving are only urban legends. However, in Alabama it is against the law to drive a motorcyle barefoot.

And, in most countries driving barefoot is allowed. However, being stopped for a traffic violation and the discovery that the driver is barefoot may cause the driver to receive a citation - based on the officer's perception of whether or not being barefoot played a part in the violation.

In my opinion the biggest problem with driving barefoot has more to do with the car mats than it does with anything else. The inside of the car collects dirt and debris. So if you drive barefoot the bottom of your feet and your heels will experience BLACK HEEL - the condition caused by UNPROTECTED DRIVING. If you drive barefoot and don't clean your feet prior to putting on your expensive shoes, the dirt from the inside of the car is now on the inside of the shoe.

The best way to keep your shoes nice (clean on the inside and on the outside), versus driving barefoot, using a towel over your car mats or using a driving shoe is to use a Heel Shield (http://www.theheelshield.com/).
The Heel Shield slips easily onto the rear of the shoe providing an easy method for keeping the shoes clean and free from scuffing and staining. Also using the Heel Shield keeps the car mats from getting holes caused by driving (using shoes to drive with the heels pressed into the car mats). And, in the winter months, the car interior is cold and in the snow belt the car mats are usually wet. This also makes driving barefoot uncomfortable. Again, the Heel Shield to the rescue. With the Heel Shield - a Unisex device - shoes and boots are protected from salt stains and water marks.