Cyclist killed by dooring.

Just ran across this. Sometimes I get into a zone while riding and forget to pay attention to what is going on around me. I guess I get too comfortable. This just gave me a little wake up call and thought I would share.

http://bicyclesafe.com/doorprize.html

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Permalink Reply by Brendan Kevenides on December 16, 2009 at 4:18am
Permalink Reply by Joe J on December 16, 2009 at 6:35am
Amanda warned me about dooring one night when we were riding because I was getting to comfortable. I am cautious by nature so after she mentioned that I really did pay attention
Permalink Reply by nhylc on December 16, 2009 at 12:12pm
Permalink Reply by Davo on December 16, 2009 at 1:24pm
they should be naming the doorer as well as the doorie
Permalink Reply by nhylc on December 16, 2009 at 6:31pm
Permalink Reply by Tim M Hovey on December 17, 2009 at 6:20am
i've never even come CLOSE to getting "doored" and have ridden every day going on my 5th year.

okay, let me rephrase that. one time, rather than dodging the door, i said screw it any manualed into the cabs door on purpose. i guess i was just feeling spunky at the time.

obviously, drivers should be careful about opening a door into any kind of traffic unless they want to suffer the same fate as the above mentioned cab.

BUT, as a cyclist myself, i seriously believe that the greater percentage of responsibility belongs with the cyclist. so seriously, get over it, maintain your situational awareness and stop running into stuff.
Permalink Reply by Chris B on December 17, 2009 at 6:47am
I don't even understand how people cannot look. I look almost all the time, and not because I bike. But when I was learning to drive my parents told me to always look before opening the door, because a car or anything could be coming toward you. So I got in the habit. how can they not look?

Or do the bike lanes make them feel "safer" since it's less likely a car will hit their door? that would be ironic if the bike lane made you more likely to get doored because drivers feel safer with that extra space.

This is why I put my flashing forward light on even during the day. I have seen people halfway open their door then close it again when they finally see me coming. I think it's because of the light. If "running light mode" always on headlights help cars avoid accidents even during the day then they should help me.
Permalink Reply by mike w. on December 17, 2009 at 7:41am
You've had a very lucky five years. i've had a fairly lucky fifty. Been doored twice, first time back in my high school days by a joker who had only just passed me. My luck was that he had his window down (a '68 Chevy 2-door with a bloody great barn door and frameless window) and that i was an agile and limber teenager who was just lucky enough to tuck and roll (what were helmets in 1969??). A good object lesson early on. The second time on a winter's night along a busy street. Had my lights on, but the driver didn't look. Had time to slow down and stop just short -almost landed in his lap- and left uttering some choice words...

Luck is great and as i've often said, better lucky than good, but putting the onus on the rider is just wrong. As i understand it, anyone exiting a car on the traffic side and causing an accident is liable and can be cited.

Yes, situational awareness is a good thing, but not all doorings are avoidable. Sometimes luck runs out and skill isn't enough.



Tim M Hovey said:
i've never even come CLOSE to getting "doored" and have ridden every day going on my 5th year.

okay, let me rephrase that. one time, rather than dodging the door, i said screw it any manualed into the cabs door on purpose. i guess i was just feeling spunky at the time.

obviously, drivers should be careful about opening a door into any kind of traffic unless they want to suffer the same fate as the above mentioned cab.

BUT, as a cyclist myself, i seriously believe that the greater percentage of responsibility belongs with the cyclist. so seriously, get over it, maintain your situational awareness and stop running into stuff.
Permalink Reply by mike w. on December 17, 2009 at 7:48am
Chris, too many people don't look when they're DRIVING! i'd wager that 95% of them never look when they pop their doors open into traffic. It's sad, really.

i've been sorely tempted in the past to take a beater car and weld a great big angle iron to the right front bumper to shear off the doors of such clueless drivers. As long as they've not started stepping out, i think one could do that with relative impunity.

But of course, i'd never recommend anyone really try that. ;-)

Chris B said:
I don't even understand how people cannot look. I look almost all the time, and not because I bike. But when I was learning to drive my parents told me to always look before opening the door, because a car or anything could be coming toward you. So I got in the habit. how can they not look?

Or do the bike lanes make them feel "safer" since it's less likely a car will hit their door? that would be ironic if the bike lane made you more likely to get doored because drivers feel safer with that extra space.

This is why I put my flashing forward light on even during the day. I have seen people halfway open their door then close it again when they finally see me coming. I think it's because of the light. If "running light mode" always on headlights help cars avoid accidents even during the day then they should help me.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on December 20, 2009 at 5:17pm
I've been doored 3 times in many, many years of riding. First time was in college (long ago) - hit an old lady's humongous car door at a very slow speed. She was a lot more startled than I was. No harm done. Second and third times were in the same year (2000) - both due to drivers who stopped in the wrong place and opened their doors when I was right next to the door. Those resulted in minor fractures, but no head injury. No doorings since then.

Aside from that, I've avoided hundreds of potential doorings by being observant and reacting quickly. Noticing brake lights on parked cars, looking into side mirrors and other techniques have saved me a helluva lot of potential ER visits. Learning to be more observant of cab behavior has helped, too. Even though more drivers are checking their side mirrors before opening their doors than in the past, I intend to stay observant. I am my own best protection, and you are yours.
Permalink Reply by dan brown on December 21, 2009 at 5:48am
good points anne.

I do this as well...and another good tip (learned from my dad a part-time driving teacher) always
watch the front wheel (of parked and moving vehicles). as the rule states : '....where the front wheel goes, the vehicle will follow....'

Anne Alt said:
I've been doored 3 times in many, many years of riding. First time was in college (long ago) - hit an old lady's humongous car door at a very slow speed. She was a lot more startled than I was. No harm done. Second and third times were in the same year (2000) - both due to drivers who stopped in the wrong place and opened their doors when I was right next to the door. Those resulted in minor fractures, but no head injury. No doorings since then.

Aside from that, I've avoided hundreds of potential doorings by being observant and reacting quickly. Noticing brake lights on parked cars, looking into side mirrors and other techniques have saved me a helluva lot of potential ER visits. Learning to be more observant of cab behavior has helped, too. Even though more drivers are checking their side mirrors before opening their doors than in the past, I intend to stay observant. I am my own best protection, and you are yours.
Permalink Reply by Tim M Hovey on December 21, 2009 at 7:04am
any vehicle with a driver in it gets a wide berth. if i can't see the driver, i assume it has one.

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