Sheilas’ Wheels & Safe Driving Heels

UK auto insurer Sheila’s Wheels, which, as the name indicates, specializes in auto (motor) coverage for women drivers, has come up with a novel way to cut down on accidents – change your shoes. More explicitly: wear shoes with specially designed heels -“without compromising on their style” – when you’re behind the wheel.

Sheilas’ Wheels said it has “developed the ‘Sheila Driving Heel’ which gives women the best of both worlds – a safe, flat driving shoe and a glamorous pair of heels in one – all interchangeable at a push of a button.”

The company notes recent research, which has shown that “more than 11.5 million women drivers in the UK are putting themselves and other drivers at risk by wearing the wrong footwear when behind the wheel.” Studies from East Anglia, the South West, Yorkshire and Wales show that on average 12 percent of female motorists “admit that they have had a car accident or a ‘near-miss’ because of their shoes slipping off or getting stuck between, or under, the foot pedals whilst driving.”

The ‘Safe Shoes’ report shows that in fact a significant majority of UK women drivers don’t wear appropriate footwear when in control of a car – “choosing style over safety.” They wear flip-flops or no shoes at all, which, as the report points out, is illegal in Scotland.

Jacky Brown, spokesperson for Sheilas’ Wheels, commented: “It’s astonishing that so many women are putting themselves, their passengers and other drivers at risk by wearing the wrong shoe or no shoe at all whilst behind the wheel. Stilettos, sling-backs and strappy sandals aren’t the sensible choice when it comes to controlling a car.”

She added that the “Sheila Driving Heel design could provide safety-conscious female motorists with the ultimate driving shoe – allowing women to wear a safe flat shoe whilst driving, and a fashionable heel once they are out of the car.”