Is it legal to drive with a moon boot?

Injuring your leg is bad enough in terms of limiting your mobility.

No matter how significant – whether it’s breaking a bone, severely spraining your ankle, or recovering from surgery – you will more than likely have to wear a cast or a moon boot for a period of time to ensure a proper recovery, which can affect your independence and restrict your ability to perform basic everyday tasks like walking, showering and, in some cases, working.

But what about driving? Is it legal to operate a motor vehicle while wearing a moon boot or a cast?

First, common sense should be the prevailing factor here. Obviously, wearing a cast or a moon boot will influence whether you can properly and safely operate the accelerator, brake, and clutch pedals.

Moon boots are significantly larger, and especially wider, than traditional shoes and may restrict you from depressing one pedal without also catching another at the same time. This is particularly dangerous under braking if you also depress the accelerator as the car will not decelerate properly or, worse, continue moving forward which may cause a preventable incident.

In any case, a cast or moon boot will also limit the movement and feel you have when using the pedals, which can adversely affect your precision.

But, most importantly, any leg injury means you have less power and restricted movement in that specific limb which may limit your ability to drive safely. Consult a medical professional about your abilities and restrictions while wearing a cast or moon boot and follow their advice, especially if they claim it would be dangerous for you to drive, or that it could have an inverse effect on the healing process.

If they say it is okay, we recommend you ask for a doctor’s certificate or note as this may protect you in any potential legal situation that may arise if you are involved in a traffic incident while wearing a cast or a moon boot.

That’s because, while there aren’t any specific federal or state road rules around Australia that prevent anyone with a temporary disability from driving a car, there is a general rule that requires the driver to always have ‘proper control’ of the vehicle.

This is a grey area of interpretation, and police could use it to claim you were driving dangerously and/or prosecutors could claim that wearing a cast or moon boot may have been a contributing factor if you are involved in a traffic accident.

At the end of the day, it is up to you – and your doctors – as to whether you can continue to drive while wearing a cast or a moon boot. If you don’t feel safe, then don’t risk further injury to yourself and anyone else on the road.

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au