Safety Assessment of Shoes Fit for Driving

This study was aimed to explore a suitable heel height of shoes for driving. Fourteen healthy female students were recruited and five pairs of footwear with varied heel heights were randomly arranged to each participant; their insole plantar pressure and ankle motion in plantar and dorsal direction whilst stepping on the power and break pedal were recorded in a Suzuki 1.3L AT car, where the driving position was on the left side. One-mask model was used and peak pressure (PP) (Kpa), contact area (CA) (cm2) and pressure time integral (PTI) (s?Kpa) under forefoot area were calculated. Our results show that in terms of ankle motion, it increased with the relative heel height; in terms of insole pressure, only the CA was sensitive to the augment of relative heel height. Based on the significant differences, 30 mm heel height was a criterion; when the heel height exceeded 30 mm, the ankle motion range and CA were significantly increased. Overall, the safe heel-height of driving shoe should not exceed 30 mm.