This is a real high risk hazard. Cant argue with that .
Yes car drivers should look before opening the door.
Can we make that happen for sure ? Answer ..... No
What should we do to control this hazard ? Answer .... Take the bike lane away from the cars.
It's a no foooking brainer !!!!
Dunno about for you 'tothersiders but in WA car drivers are at fault if they open the door and anyone runs into it.
Thus I guess any cyclist hit could report it as a traffic crash and be covered under the car driver's insurance
I have looked- and still cant confirm it, but when I was learning to drive (back in the dim dark ages) both my instructor and examiner drilled it into my thick skull that it is an offence to drive (or ride) within 4' of another vehicle, stationary or mobile.
This says to me that a bike being cleaned up by a car door would mean the bike is too close to the car.
Same for splitting lanes in traffic- it would make one of the best reasons for being on 2 wheels an illegal act as the gap between two cars would rarely be more that 2m.
After saying that- any car driver that opens a car door without first checking is a dangerous fool.
Stephen
Yes but, insurance not much good if your badly I injured or completely foooking dead !
What sn said + 1
On the one hand, the driver shouldn't open their door unless it is safe to do so - it might get taken off by a car!
On the other hand, if you are riding that close / fast and you cant stop for a door you would not be able to stop for a pedestrian stepping out from between cars either.
Why on earth are bikes forced to ride so close to cars anyway - talk about stupid road designs. 
What Sn was told by his driving instructors may be a law or not, but if it is then it is one of those stupid impractical laws we have along with not being able to turn left, after stopping at a red light.
How many bike lanes are 4' away from the parking zone of a road? Not many, if any.
And what of the roads that have no bicycle lane? Are you saying we should stop and wait for the traffic so we can ride in the middle of the road because some stupid with a car door might not look first?
Maybe it's time for a new law? Any time you are interjecting into a new lane or road or about to stop or start whilst driving you are, by law, enforced to indicate what you are about to do.
So we should have another new law now, to leave your car whilst parked on a road, you have to indicate to the road users that you are about to do so, then sit in your car for 30 seconds and plan it safely and then take out a cyclist whilst alighting. Problem solved, you're in the clear and with a good solicitor the cyclist may even pay for your new door!
how are you going to see a bike coming from behind while opening the door.
a car sure, but a silent bike riding close to the other parked cars doing up to 60 Km/h is not easy to spot.
that said caution should be used.
I have been car doored once. No-one came to my aid or offered to be a witness - but I reckon a few would have if a motorcyclist went down, as it was outside the courtyard to a lively pub.
The driver lived in Katoomba, but worked at Sydney Uni. Reckon if he didn't have such a long commute, he would not have been so rushed to do his errands when parked in Springwood.
Although a large police station was only metres away, the driver bundled me in his car and drove to the local bicycle shop to pay for a new rear wheel, paid on his CC, then thrust all his cash ($75) in my hands and left me. I had a massive painless bruise to my R bicep, and didn't seek medical attention, although I worked then as a nurse...
A friend gave me a lift to work. I spoke to my supervisor and asked if I should get it checked in case of workers comp, in case my condition changed. Was told that as I normally drove, but on this day decided to cycle (actually my car had been written off a few weeks before) it wasn't covered.
As a gesture of forgiveness, a fortnight later I emailed the bloke and suggested we do Narrowneck FT on the MTB's. He replied saying he 'was just thinking of how I was getting on, and had just done the trail on the weekend previously, with some other guys he didn't know either - how funny was that! Chat soon.'
The whole incident has made me reflect a bit;
- on what it means to be a long-term resident of an area; didn't anyone recognise me in a busy street, even at face value? No-one assisted.
- loyalty towards my employer meant little. I was at work on time after a fright.
- how much damage I caused to the front panel when cycling at about 25 km/h. The car door over-extended, then could not be opened again when shut.
The front wheel was OK, the rear of the bike had gone high in the air, then slammed down.
- how fortunate I was not to sustain worse injury.
Am still an occasional cyclist. Recent solo trips include 80km Lithgow - Richmond along Bells Line of Rd, copping abuse 5 or 6 times + 80km N Richmond - Wisemans Ferry & return along many quiet back roads, and some not so.
It's not just drivers, they have mirrors at least, passengers are the ones I would worry about. The cyclist I see are happy to slide up either side of the car if there is room. I think if you want to be the same as a car and travel on the road, you follow the rules and not split lanes.
I've got a theory about this. Part of my work is driving a 3 tonne truck, like a removalists truck. The rear view mirror ....the one above the windscreen becomes totally useless as all you see is the box van behind you. So what you have to do is use the side mirrors and it doesn't take very long before you look to the side mirrors first and completely ignore the centre mirror. I reckon the main reason people open the door onto riders is they look to the centre mirror and then open the door. If a rider is in the position to get hit by the door he's in the blind spot of the centre mirror and the driver just cant see him. So, my solution would be to ban centre rear view mirrors and force drivers to use their side mirrors. If you get used to using your side mirrors then opening your door onto riders will reduce(I think).
I'm sticking to the footpath, even if farking postie bike takes me out and then says I "clip his saddlebag", bending my wheel side ways.
If your dumb enough to ride on the road when there is a footpath You deserve to get hit.
Dumb **** cyclists think they own the road.
If you play with fire you get burnt.
There are only 2 types of reply you see on this topic.
The motorist - Forum reply's are gen constructive( "dusta" your not helping)"edit busta not dusta, sorry dusta" and a clear case it's a road I pay rego and fuel to improve the road infastructure.
The Bicyle riders - alway's feel the need to attack on a reply - try to state laws.
Add no contribution to the roads and expect the same rights as a car.
Register you bike's, get 3rd party insurance. buy your sports drinks at servo's and we will now be on a level playing field to argue.
99% of people I see including myself will always ensure that we do everything possible to aviod - slow down - change lanes (as your 3ft from the curb) to not place the rider in harms way.
A ? for biycle riders is what contribution do you make to the road network to support a need for main road biycle paths. (not a dig or being smart. Just curious)
[}:)]
If all motor vehicles where replaced with pushies the world would stop.
Quote: Carantoc
Not travelling in a car ? other means would be req = lots of $$ and impracticable.
Not taking up a 3.6m wide lane ?
only 400mm of it but stratigicaly placed takes the whole lane. Also hinders flow of traffick and increase's the likelihood of an event occuring
Not polluting our cities ?
the people who make your bike from start to finish= pollution overload + profits they make to buy more stuff
Not creating traffic jams that cost billions in lost production ?
It's these driver doing the producing
Not killing pedestrians ?
look at statistic I'm not going to quote. It's all a numbers game. People kill people.
Not requiring vast trances of land to be bituminised so cars can be parked and do nothing for 8 hours ?
Once again no roads = no jobs, ambulance's, food and just about everything.
Nothing like a good constructive debate.
This is the answer....
hope you have a good good friday Doggie , its looking like being epic in the morning here !!!
hope you have a good good friday Doggie , its looking like being epic in the morning here !!!
Is it not common sense and the will to survive that you look into each car as you approach, and if you see a person in the drivers side, take caution. For things like trucks etc check their side mirrors to see if you can see a person.
These "secrets" have kept me upright on the treadly.
And also if you don't check before you open your door how do you know that a cyclist on the other side of the road hasn't forced the car to go wide and therefore the vehicle comming up behind to come in close up behind to take your door out.
