A TikTok influencer and British expat living in Australia has gone viral after realizing how many Australians ride barefoot.
Her video sparked controversy over the act, created confusion about legality, and gained support for her newfound love of going barefoot.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: A woman is baffled by how many Australians ride barefoot.
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British citizen Jordana Brown, who is known for sharing her migration tips and cultural upheaval on TikTok, lives on the Sunshine Coast, where she says “almost everyone I know goes barefoot.”
She called this realization “things they should tell you before coming to Australia”.
“Now I know it is legal to drive barefoot in the UK, but I would never do that because I would never want my feet to touch the ground,” Brown said.
“I mean, aside from the beach, the only time I was barefoot was after a long night, and I would rather risk getting sick touching the bare ground than wear those heels for another minute.
“So the idea of going barefoot in Australia was crazy, I thought it would be very dangerous and I just don’t know why, but I just couldn’t.
“And then one day I was in a car, I just drove into a traffic jam and realized that my shoes were in the trunk and I had to go barefoot and I thought I was going to kill everyone.
“But I came home and it was great.”
The accident-free experience made Brown change his mind.
“I like it, I’m barefoot everywhere. I’m barefoot now!”
“I drive like I have gorilla fingers, my fingers grip the clutch and brake, and I have a whale of time.
— I mean, I can’t remember where half of my shoes are. You just don’t need them.”
But the statement has sparked an online controversy over the legality of driving barefoot, with many Australians believing that driving without shoes in Australia is against the law.
This is not necessarily true. There are no specific laws in Australia prohibiting barefoot driving.
There are rules of the road that require drivers to have as much control over their car as possible. Thus, if you find it difficult to drive in the shoes you are wearing and you are stopped for a driving violation that may be related to this, you may be fined.
Many others have commented on the video saying they prefer to drive barefoot when wearing impractical shoes like high heels or thongs.
“Always ride barefoot in a thong because it’s safer,” wrote one person.
“The first thing my mother told me was to always walk barefoot in a thong. We knew someone who had a very serious accident because of them,” wrote another.
Others thought of worst-case scenarios, advising against the Australian cultural norm.
“Used to drive barefoot. Discovered in an accident with glass and other sharp objects, you won’t end up so well,” wrote one person.
“The reason you have to wear shoes is because in the event of a crash, the brake rod will go through your foot,” wrote another.
Barefoot driving divides the internet
Some say that the choice to walk barefoot in a car simply depends on the condition (and temperature).
“Just wait for a hot summer day and the road pitch will be 120 degrees,” one user commented on the video.
“It’s more about QLD. It’s too cold in Melbourne right now!” another wrote.
Not everyone is in favor of being barefoot, one person commented on the video: “Sorry, only savages go barefoot, any decent person doesn’t want this dirt walking on their floors in their homes.”
But one thing is for sure: driving barefoot is ingrained in Australian culture and many don’t know any other way.
“I passed the test barefoot,” wrote one person.
“I learned to drive barefoot and had to learn to drive in real shoes,” wrote another.
“We don’t even (wear) shoes when we go for a license,” wrote another.
“This is our culture and if you weren’t born and raised here foreigners will never understand it,” wrote another.
“I can’t drive any other way,” wrote another.
