Crocs and Escalators?

[SunshineGirl]

Has anyone heard whether this is more fact or urban legend?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/17/cro....ap/index.html

[3dog2kidmom]

I don't know -- I wouldn't think they'd be anymore dangerous than sandals or any other type of open backed shoe or high heel for that matter. However I did read this same thing on the DIS awhile back and I always caution the kids on escalators when they are wearing crocs "just in case."

[spring]

Honestly, it sounds plausible to me. I think Crocs are great, but maybe a little toddler would be better suited to a well fitting pair of tie shoes. However, even as toddlers, they all want what their older siblings and peers have..........and it never stops!!

[mum4jenn]

It seems to be true BUT...it can happen with ANY shoe. I have always had sort of a fear of the escalator but as a child I had a sandal get caught and this was in the late 60's. No damage was done to my foot but it broke the sandal (it was the type that went between the toes but not a flip flop type. Ever since then I have always made sure I lift my feet up several inches when coming to the end of the ride.

I think MOST people depend on the escalator sliding your foot to the floor level but this is very dangerous to do this. If everyone would just pick up their feet a bit at the end this would NOT happen at all.

I really get tired of Crocs being blamed. The Crocs have more damage just because they are basically foam but the Crocs themselves are not the cause.

[missymouse]

While it is somewhat true any shoe can get caught in an escalator so it is not a problem specific to croc's the problem really is that kids have a tendency to put their feet on the edges of the steps or right up against the step above the one they are standing on. Then when the escalator gets almost to the top the teeth grab the shoe. When I used to work in a department store kids frequently got shoes stuck in the escalators. Usually the toe of a sneaker or the ends of their shoe laces. I think there is something about parental supervision to make sure your child does not have the edge or toe of their shoe too close to dangerous parts of an escalator. There are also incidences of stroller wheels getting tangled up on escalators thus the warning not to take strollers on escalators.

[m 'n c]

I think its the holes on crocs that make them a bit more dangerous than other shoes as far as escalators go. i remember seeing some scary pics on the DIS a while back from someone whose kid did get caught on and escalator.

[sammielynn]

I think part of the problem with crocs is that you shuffle your feet more in them than in regular shoes so you are not raising your feet as high when you walk.

[minigirl]

Someone on the DIS posted a pic of their child's Croc after it got stuck on the escalator in the Land (I think it was) at Epcot. Half the shoe had been torn away. Her child had the back straps over the front of the shoe, so her foot easily slid out. Apparently, it is a combination of the holes in the crocs (more in the front than on the top) and the fact that these things are supposed to be large on your foot that causes the problems. I just make sure that my kids stand in the middle of the escalator tread and pick their feet up when getting ona nd off. No shuffling or "Surfing" off as my kiddos call it.

It hasn't made me stop wearing my Crocs or allowing my kids to girls to wear theirs though.

[SunshineGirl]

I've always been one of those people with a fear of escalators. If you ever see a thirty-something-year-old woman high stepping off the end of the escalator, it's a safe bet that it is me. LOL!

Maybe the moral of the story is for everyone to be more careful with small kids on the escalators but in particular if you (adult or kid) are wearing a flip-flop or croc type shoe?

[m 'n c]

I've always been one of those people with a fear of escalators. If you ever see a thirty-something-year-old woman high stepping off the end of the escalator, it's a safe bet that it is me. LOL!

I'm actually the one that takes forever to get on and off because I'm afraid I'm going to fall off the escalator.