Soft Soles Fall Fashion Victim to Escalators – washingtonpost.com
I will start out by saying that I hate flip flops and crocs at the office. It’s simply unprofessional, inappropriate, and sometimes unsafe. When did it become OK to wear beachwear at work? I consider the flip flop something to wear in the dorm shower to prevent athletes foot. Get a nice pair of sandals and the cute outfit will look much better than when it’s paired with the flip flops from Target.
I don’t wear fabulous shoes to work – athletic shoes, slides and the occasional loafer. However, my job requires me to climb ladders, scramble under tables, and generally be on my feet for long periods of time if required.
I would never wear a non-supportive shoe on a regular basis. I want to be able to walk when I’m 60. No matter how stylish the flip flop, it has no arch support and even less protection.
When I saw this article in the Post last week, it really struck a chord. These shoes are not safe on Metro, especially on children who are not attentive to their feet when riding the Metro.
“We’ve had an alarming increase of incidents of those types of shoes
being stuck in the escalator,” said Dave Lacosse, who oversees Metro’s
588 escalators and 244 elevators and said the problems started last
summer. “We were going from weeks with [no incidents], to one now and
then, and now, especially in the summer, as high as three and four a
week is common.”
Although Metro riders have escaped with minor injuries, there have
been numerous reports of Croc- and flip-flop-related injuries elsewhere.On April 26, a 3-year-old girl wearing Crocs got her shoe caught in an escalator at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
and had to have two toes partially amputated, according to airport
spokesman Herschel Grangent. On June 8, a 3-year-old boy wearing
plastic sandals was cut severely on his right foot after his shoe
became trapped in another airport escalator, Grangent said.In November, a 2-year-old’s right big toe was ripped off in a Singapore mall after her rubber clog — a Crocs imitation — got stuck in an escalator, according to news reports.
It’s bad enough that the escalators break down due to basic wear but to chew up a shoe (and possibly mangle a foot) is unnecessary. I know it’s summer but what’s wrong with making your kids wear a good sneaker?
technorati tags:shoes, Metro, flip-flops, crocs, Washiington-Post, escalators, safety
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August 9, 2007 at 9:07 am
Oh my gosh! I think that Crocs are so ugly and I can’t believe how many people are wearing them. Tons of kids were wearing them while we were in NYC. I think they make a little more sense on kids but after reading this I a definitely not going to get a pair for Felix.
On the other hand, their Prima Ballerina slipper is quite cute. I picked up an imitation at Payless. They could be worn to work. And your toes are covered.
August 9, 2007 at 4:37 pm
These too shall pass. Remember those Indian leather thong sandals that you could feel a pea beneath? The loop around your toe unraveled within weeks. For some reason, we loved them. Everyone had them, so we had to have them. I’m sure it gauled our parents to buy such a ridiculous shoe.