An article circulating the internet has many drivers question whether or not it is illegal to drive in pyjamas. Many of us are guilty of this when taking a quick late-night trip to a drive-thru or heading out to pick someone up late at night; it can be all too tempting to stay in your dressing gown and slippers rather than get dressed. But is it actually illegal to drive in your pyjamas? We’re here to settle this argument once and for all!
Can you drive in your pyjamas?
The short and straightforward answer to this question is yes, technically you can drive in your pyjamas without breaking any direct laws. However, you should take care to make sure you always drive in sensible clothing and footwear that enables you to drive correctly and safely. Rule 97 of the highway code states that drivers should wear footwear and clothing that does not prevent them correctly using controls. Therefore, driving in slippers or a heavy dressing gown that could restrict movement, may not be the best idea.
While not being illegal to drive in pyjamas, you could still be faced with a hefty penalty fine if your driving is considered unsafe due to what you’re wearing. If you’re pulled over for driving without due care and attention, you could be slapped with a £100 on the spot fine, and in more severe cases a maximum fine of up to £5,000 could be issued. If you think that driving in your pyjamas in any way affects or inhibits your driving, you should avoid doing so! Driving in your pyjamas may cause you to feel sleepy at the wheel or lose control of the pedals due to inappropriate footwear, so be careful. However, if you’re a regular pyjama driver and find that it does not affect your driving whatsoever, you can carry on doing your thing.
What should I wear when driving?
This may lead you to question what you should wear when driving. Many motorists also ask, is it legal to drive in flip flops? As long as what you are wearing doesn’t affect your ability to drive safely and correctly use the controls, you will be fine. Some suggestions on sensible things to wear while driving are:
- Comfortable shoes such as trainers or plimsoles (we don’t recommend driving in flip-flops, heels, slippers or barefoot for that matter)
- Loose-fitting trousers that don’t restrict movement when using the pedals
- T-shirt, top or jumper that allows you to move your arms freely to steer and use the gear stick
What should I wear to my driving test?
If you’re new to driving and perhaps taking your driving lessons in Oxford with us, you might be wondering what to wear to your driving test. The same rules apply as above, comfortable, loose clothing that doesn’t restrict movement and flat comfortable footwear. We recommend wearing similar clothing and footwear as you have been wearing during your time learning. This is especially important when it comes to footwear as you will have got used to using the foot pedals and feeling for the biting point in a certain type of footwear. If you then wear something with a thick sole or heel, you may not be able to control the pedals properly.
Wearing pyjamas while driving
To sum things up, wearing pyjamas driving is not illegal in the U.K., but that still leaves the question of whether or not you should. As previously mentioned, there is no issue with wearing pyjamas to drive as long as it does not affect your ability to drive safely and stay in control of the vehicle.
It’s down to the driver to make sensible decisions based on what they should and shouldn’t wear when driving. If you’re new to driving and have recently passed your driving test with us, we suggest sticking to normal clothes and shoes while you build up your confidence.
Have any questions? Give our friendly office team a call on 0330 124 4877 and we’ll help answer them.
