[s-cars] PSA on doorings: check your mirrors!

[LL - NY]

That is much of how I ride (or rode, haven't lived where there parked cars
to worry about for several years now), it's all about preventative looking
ahead. Much like racing and safe driving on public roads (you have to be
looking ahead further for that, way too much unexpected can happen, like the
3 yearlings I missed this morning on the way to work).  The looking ahead
and anticipating is training that you have to learn. I USED to have to do a
lot of this when I was in college while training (you'd be surprised how
many doors open in front of a pack of cyclists, it's one reason we didn't
pace line inside city limits) and by assuming that ANY car (especially one's
where you could see a visible head inside) was going to door us. Saved many
an ass (or head) in 4 years of training. And yes, we would (and I still do)
take the lane, especially if traffic is moving at a pace that we could
reasonably keep with. Also do it at all intersections. Keeps from being
right turned in front of when the light changes. Also you're MUCH more
visible when you're in the middle of the lane.

And yes, absolutely file a claim. Hidden injuries are possible, long term
health issues due to orthopedic injuries and mis-alignments, and you need to
establish liability. And yes, you actually should have little trouble
claiming the bike on her insurance, so long as the police report supports
you. Seen several BTDT's within the great state of Taxachussetts, so the law
is behind the claimant.

On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 4:49 PM, Theodore Chen <tedebearp at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Wow, sorry to hear about that.  Was she cited for leaving the scene?  What
> happened to your bike?  You should certainly go after her to pay for your
> trip to the ER and replace your bike, at least.  I'm sure she looked in her
> mirror - for a car.  Some people may have seen this video already:
>
>
> http://stanford.wellsphere.com/triathlon-article/the-invisible-cyclist/257647
>
> I give parked cars a wide berth when riding.  If I am moving quickly on a
> 2-lane (in each direction) road, I often go well into the right lane,
> figuring that being doored is the larger danger.  Cars behind me can see me
> much more easily.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Brett Dikeman <brett.dikeman at gmail.com>
> To: Audi List <quattro at audifans.com>; s-car-list at audifans.com; 200q20V
> mailing list <200q20v at audifans.com>
> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 12:37:07 PM
> Subject: [s-cars] PSA on doorings: check your mirrors!
>
> Last night riding home from (oddly enough) a cycling club BBQ, I was
> "doored".  For those who don't know- this is when a driver opens a car
> door into the path of a cyclist, catching the body or bike.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Door_zone
>
> I got to spend 8 hours in the ER thanks to someone's carelessness in
> spending 2-3 seconds looking in their mirror; thankfully, no broken
> bones.  She claims she looked in her mirror and opened the door
> slowly, but reality is that she wasn't looking, opened it quickly, and
> I have the projector-beam-like 5W LED bike light which projects a
> focused, bright beam.  It's the kind of thing you don't miss if you're
> looking in your mirror.  This upstanding person also left me on the
> ground in pain and hid in the store; the cops had to go in and find
> her and bring her out.
>
> This kind of collision is completely, 100% the fault of drivers and
> completely, 100% avoidable.  PLEASE, check your mirrors before opening
> your door!  I lucked out in that I wasn't thrown into the road, more
> crash-landed straight, but people can be and are seriously
> injured/killed when they swerve / are knocked out / fall into traffic
> and struck or run over.  I've also seen people's hands permanently
> disfigured from catching the door edge, and heard stories from friends
> who ended up stuffed into the driver's footwell.
>
> -Brett
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