How to drive in High Heels

My personal relationship with high heels and driving cars

The year I turned five I discovered my love of cars and shoes. During that year I learned how to walk with high heels I stole from my mum and I developed my passion for driving on the knees of my grandfather in his beautiful Citroen DS.

I remember wanting to do both at the same time, but at that age it did not matter, as I was sadly not the one flirting with the pedals.

To me, high heels and cars are symbols of beauty and freedom, a freedom entrenched in the joys of driving. That is why I believe it to be important to master the tricks of driving in high heels.

How its done. Tips and tricks.

It has been said, driving in high heels is dangerous, that high heels slow reaction time, that it does not procure a good feel of the pedal, that the heel can get caught in the carpet. Almost all of these comments are more or less true; nevertheless, we excellent drivers and still drive in high heels.

The first thing to know is that your seat will have to be adjusted depending on the height of your heels. The higher the heels the lower and further back the seat position will be. In some sports cars such as the Lotus Elise the height of the seat cannot be changed, thus we can only position the seat a bit further back to find the perfect position.

Hanging pedals

Some cars will be easier than others to drive in high heels; this is due to the pedal layout. Some cars, such as the beloved classic Mini have hanging pedals. This means that you will be touching the pedals with your back toe mounds keeping the heel off the floor. It is important to always keep the heel as far way from the pedals as possible. If you fail to do so, you may get the heel behind the pedal, effectively limiting to push movement. Also you may even break your beautiful heel…

Standing pedals

Other cars, like most BMW’s for example, have standing pedals, or floor mounted pedals. In this case your high heels will be touching the floor and your toe mounds the pedal. It is important not to touch the pedal with the heel as it may get stuck in the pedal (if they are perforated for example). Also your foot will be inclined upwards even more making it very difficult to push down the pedal.

Wrapping up

When driving in heels, I find it easier and safer to always keep my left foot on the clutch. This enables me to react faster in case of an event.

All in all, nothing should get in the way of driving in style. Furthermore, it is sort of a workout to drive in high heels as your calf will be under tension most of the time. Looking to get fit? Just drive in high heels.

Laoise