High Heel Safety? Take a Bike
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin 
on 12. 8.07
If you visit these pages often, you know that high heels are cycle chic, not an excuse to totter to your fossil-fuel powered footsaver and motor to your destination. Get ready to add another plus under the "bike with stilettos" column in your daily mobility decision: driving in heels is dangerous. So dangerous, that UK-based women's insurer Sheilas' Wheels developed the convertible heels pictured here. Below the fold, you can see that the heel on these striking leg-lengtheners tucks away to make a sensible flat shoe for walking. Hmmm, another alternative to doing the city-circle search for a parking place or adding to the asphalt explosion.
In addition to the formidable achievement of turning car insurance into a cult product (you have to check out ilovesheilas to see for yourself), Sheilas' Wheels takes care of their female market by studying the particular safety issues women drivers face. The 'Safe Shoes' survey commissioned by Sheilas' Wheels showed that 80% of women drivers put themselves and others at risk by driving in inappropriate footwear. With trademark flamboyancy, Sheilas' then commit the statistically questionable practice of multiplying the results of a survey of several hundred women to the total population of licensed female drivers in Britain to conclude that:
More than 11.5 million women drivers in the UK are putting themselves and other drivers at risk by wearing the wrong footwear when behind the wheel.
We say strike a TreeHugger blow for safety and style: wear hot pink spikes on your pedal-powered transport to ensure that drivers notice the need to share the lane.
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
Treehugger is my more visited blog.
Hy, from Italy
Sorry, but high heels are not chic. They are for failures. They are not sexy and women who wear them in my vicinity will simply be left behind.
so, where can we buy these shoes?!?! :D
I'm with Deedee -- where do we get these shoes? I'm thinking more in terms of walking, and the other convertible heels out there are US$300+. Oi.
Tell us, O Treehugger, how do we purchase these?
===auth. note===
Well, faithful readers. I am afraid the news is bad. We went straight to the source, and asked Sheilas' Wheels where we can get their heels. The answer is reprinted here below. Be sure to contact Emma to let them know your thoughts and get on a mailing list for early orders. And send a pic of you wearing your heals on your bicycle as soon as you get a pair, to christine @ treehugger.com!
----email from Sheilas' Wheels follows:---
Hi Christine
Thank you very much for your email.
The Sheila Driving Heel is currently in design development so at this stage the shoes are not available to buy. But we're looking to gauge opinion in the marketplace and are keen for women to tell us what they think about the design.
Sheilas' Wheels will issue information about the shoes if they go into production. Only at this later stage will information on how to order a pair will be available.
Kind regards
Emma
-----------
Emma Lloyd
Communications Co-ordinator, esure & Sheilas' Wheels
Tel: 01737 641309
Fax: 01737 235581
Email: emma.lloyd@esure.com
Websites: www.esure.com, www.sheilaswheels.com, www.ilovesheilas.com
Address: The Observatory, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0SG
Estos zapatos estan geniales, quisiera comprarme unos cuando salieran a la venta.
I REALLY LOVE SHEILAS
I really like your idea!
Do you think that they are also more comfortable than the traditional high helled shoes?
this is a very cool concept! although, i think i'd ride my bike in heels reguardless! and a mini skirt. the collapsable heel worries me....seems like it would collapse easily. i have always wanted to ask sidi to make a pair of high heeled bike shoes....love your blog! thanks!