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As temperatures reach their mid-summer heights and humidity increases, UK Insurer Swinton wants to remind us of an important summer driving tip: wear appropriate shoes.

The warning comes on the heels (no pun intended) of a poll from the British insurer, which reveals that one in five drivers in the UK have admitted to a temporary loss of vehicular control due to inappropriate footwear, such as flip-flops.

Why are flip-flops so dangerous? The design of such shoes makes it easy for them to both slip off of pedals or get caught beneath them, and the lack of a heel makes it more likely for your foot to slip when you’re changing gears. But don’t just kick off your shoes – barefoot driving is also dangerous, because without the cushion of a sole, you won’t have as much braking force.

In an online poll of 1,200 Swinton customers, the insurer also learned that 51% of the women who responded confessed to sometimes driving while wearing stilettos.

Swinton’s Insurance Development Manager, Steve Chelton, told the press, “Ensuring you have full control of your vehicle is vital. Wearing inappropriate footwear can dramatically affect this and in some cases cause accidents. Sensible footwear should be worn at all times behind the wheel and motorists should consider keeping a spare pair of shoes – appropriate for driving – in their boot.”

Swinton is offering the following footwear advice, which is applicable on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean:

– The sole of the shoe should not be too soft and no thicker than 10cm [about 4 inches].
– The shoe should have good grips to avoid the foot slipping off the pedal
– The shoe should be light weight
– The shoe should not restrict movement of the ankle
– The shoe should be thin [narrow], to avoid accidentally step on two pedals at once