Many years ago I saw a lady work colleague take off her sneakers in her car and change into her high heels before heading into the office. I asked her why, and she replied that her high heels were inappropriate for driving as they can cause her to make mistakes. We men don't think we evere have to worry about such things, but the truth is that we do. From the Highway code, Article 3.1 of Reglamento General de Circulación states that you have to drive properly avoiding damage to people/things. It is forbidden to drive in a negligent or reckless manner. From this roughly translated wording many things can be interpreted.
Firstly, let's look at footwear. Under formal circumstances we would normally wear shoes that were good for walking which will fit snugly with backing so that they don't fall off. However, during the Summer months we tend to let our guard down and slip into flip flops or sandals that are comfortable for the beach.Using such footwear to drive carries the risk, especially when reacting to an emergency, that they will become twisted or will simply fall off when braking. Law officers take a very dim view of driving with footwear that is without backing. You run the risk of attracting a fine, but worse than that, you may suffer an unnecessary crash.
Under this same section an officer will probably stop the vehicle if you are seen driving with the back hatch open. He will find several things wrong with this, but the most serious is that if the car's back is open the car is drawing into it spent exhaust that is dangerous to your health, and will probably cause the driver to lose focus. This will also result in a fine, but again, worse is that they are right. The exhaust from your vehicle is really bad, both for the environment and living creatures in general, who are out in the open, but especially bad for those people in the car.
This section of the driving code essentially requires us as drivers to drive with due care and attention, avoiding at all costs damage to persons and property. To do this we must be fully focused on the road ahead, as well as on pedestrians walking alongside us, and we must anticipate what other drivers and pedestrians will do next.
We take driving so much for granted, but it really is a heavy responsability. Once behind the wheel we are no longer in our living rooms at home. As the popular saying goes, "A little care will get you there...and back."
Copyright (c) 2015 Eugene Carmichael
BEWARE OF DRIVER EXHAUSTION ON LONG JOURNEYS!
