i was doored today

monster

100 kW
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
Messages
1,410
the first time this has happened to me. i was filtering through stationary traffic when some guy opened a passenger door into me. i had no time to react before the door and i was going about 10mph. there was an almighty bang and i carried on past the door. the first thing i did was curse but when i realized both my bike and my-self were ok i calmed down. the guy asked if i was ok and appologised for not looking. i told him dont worry about it and appologised for the mess to his car.

i think i was just clipped by the door because i didn't come off and my bike was ok. i think the pedal must have caught the door because the pedals were making more noise than usual on the way home.
 
Glad you're allright Monster,that allmost happened to me about a month ago.I was cruising at around 25kmh down the road passing a line of parked cars and when I was passing the last of them a door flew open,I veered to the left whilst hitting the brake and came to a fast stop.Heart pounding I was ready to holler F*U but noticed an elderly lady at the wheel looking as scared as I was.I just shook my head and went onward.

Eric
 
about a month ago i had a guy try to over-take me before reaching traffic at a stop light. he drew level with me, and then pulled into me, side swiping me - assuming i was well behind him. the only thing that saved me from being pushed onto the curve then was my car horn. i had his full attention when stopped next to each other at the junction and i cursed him until i realized that his whole family was in the car and he looked scared.
 
I was given a door prize once.
I was MAX speed and pedaling hard.(none electric)
Height of the door (the pointy part) was EXACTLY the height of my throat. I BARLEY had time to react by standing in the saddle as it were, I didn't even bother to brake and couldn't swerve left or I'd hit traffic.

Luckily the door swung a little wider than normal so the pointy part was now beyond my arm. I hit the door full chest. The door swung parallel with the car with the impact. I went over the door and tumbled right in front of the car that was behind me. I barley recovered in time to jump to the side walk otherwise I'd have been run over.

I took no damage, just a bruise. Bike took no damage, wheel simply turned out. His car door had a new crinkle to it. :twisted:

Now whenever somone gives me a door prize I DO NOT try to swerve out, I turn INTO the car, pull the brakes and swing my feet out to kick the door and hopefully driver, or at least the door joint area. That way he/she takes the full damage and the door catches me and the bike. I will never again go over the door and risk being run over.

I'ts happened once since but brakes stoppped my before impact.

Any Automotive owner that opens a door into oncoming traffic without looking in the damn mirror deserves to get a darwin award.
 
Monster,

From your description it sounds like one of those Aholes that like to BLOCK bicycles at stop lights by pulling close to the sidewalk.

Here's a point. Always report minor collisions to the police even if no damage. get a copy of the report and submit it to the offenders insurance company. you'll get nothing from it but the offender now has an accident on his record and the insurance company is likely to raise their rates.
 
Another time I was driving up to an intersection in the early morning, no other traffic present except a car FAR behind me.

4 lanes, 2 each side.
Both me and car in the go straight or turn left lane.

The light is red.
I saw in the mirror the car was there and it seemed to be accelerating even though the light ahead was yellow. This is me about 100 feet from light and car amybe 300 feet.
Intuition kicked in and I went from center of the lane to the far right of the lane but clearly still in the lane. Don't know why but I did, just something about people accelerating up to a stop.

Anyway the lady barely slows down in time but ends up tapping the back left of the bike. No damage, no scratches(thank you saddlebags). When I looked back at her she had her hands to the side of her head and a scared "oh no" look on her face. I slowly examined the bike, shook my head and pulled forward a little. Some people should just NOT be onthe road.
 
Damn, glad to hear that you made it through unscathed. That could have been ugly. It amazes me how many people actually do stuff like that on purpose. :evil:
 
I try to go wide, and I look in every car to see if there's a person who might be coming out. I have more problems with people pulling out of driveways right in front of me. I now assume they're going to do it unless I make eye contact with them.
 
I've yet to be doored, but I've come close plenty of times. I like your idea of putting your foot out, Lessss :twisted:.

I did have an egg thrown at me about a week ago. Ass.
 
Dr. Shock said:
I try to go wide, and I look in every car to see if there's a person who might be coming out. I have more problems with people pulling out of driveways right in front of me. I now assume they're going to do it unless I make eye contact with them.

I wouldn't really count on that either. I have had plenty of times where people made eye contact with me and still pulled out in front of me. And that was on a loud motorcycle. Hell, I've had people do that to me when I was in my huge lifted truck! :shock:
 
Yep...Definitely got to ride the bike like every car/truck out on the road is out to kill you.It's right to assume that if you can't make eye contact with an ICE motorist he don't see you and as Jay says even if you do get the eye contact you still have to be on your guard!

Eric
 
I've never been door but crashed into some lady blocking the crosswalk when riding my scooter before. I was going against traffic but on the sidewalk. At an intersection i arrived at a green light and proceed down the sidewalk and about to cross when some lady was coming from the side street ready to make a right. In NJ driver can make a right on red after coming to a stop. Most people here don't do so. They eye the traffic on the left and just make a right. In doing so this lady didn't see me coming down the sidewalk at about 25mph and blocked the sidewalk. I went straight into the passenger door and my scooter wheel jammed into the wheel well and i flew on top of her car right on the hood. I layed on the hood for a good minute before i came to and got off. Was in too much pain to be cursing. Her little son was sitting on the passenger side and he was horrified, so was she. I was in a rush so didn't bother to check if i'm okay. Found out later my front wheel was bent and i had some bruises. That's about it.
 
i like the idea of kicking the door the best place to aim for is probably the outer most edge. i think heavyer e-bikes would fair better than lightweight cycles in a dooring -like the SUV effect?

top NYC cycle messengers say they can reach forward and close an opening door before it hits them.
 
"i like the idea of kicking the door the best place to aim for is probably the outer most edge."

I heard an expert on car crashes speak about the physics of a crash. He pointed out that the car to car crash isn't what kills people, it's the collision between you and the inside of you car. So having a lot of mass in front of you, basically absorbing energy and slowing you down faster is going to be better for you.

I think it is much better if you hit the door and let it bend to slow you down. You'll be better off than if you either miss it and hit the ground, or collide with the side of the car.
Probably just as good to make full-on contact with the driver and let him be a big cushion for you.
 
Dr. Shock said:
Probably just as good to make full-on contact with the driver and let him be a big cushion for you.

Yep. I had an incident when I was landing a pretty big jump while snowboarding and some dim wit chick comes to a stop in the landing zone to wait for her friends. I would have cleaned her out if I landed good, but instead I tried to be nice and flick a hard turn as I was landing to avoid her. Hit a patch of ice with my rail, wiped out and broke my wrist the week before race season started. I can tell you for sure, she would have made a much softer landing then that patch of ice. I decided from then on to look out for myself first, and use any body that puts me in danger by their stupidity as a nice soft landing cushion.
 
"Holy Cr*p, I'm in the air!"

[Taken from Jeff Dunham's 'The'Dead Terrorist' ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uwOL4rB-go

Couldn't help myself!

:)

Ross
 
I was nearly doored last night... but I was checking out chicks on the ride home

Should pay more attention to the road instead of girls who are wearing summery outfits!

God I love summer! :lol:

hahah
 
ngocthach1130 said:
this lady didn't see me coming down the sidewalk at about 25mph and blocked the sidewalk.

As a general rule I NEVER go fast on my bike when using the sidewalks. I feel it's just not safe to be moving much faster than the "traffic" on the sidewalks. If I want to go fast I get on the road and obey the rules of the road like any other vehicle.

Marty.
 
lawsonuw said:
If I want to go fast I get on the road and obey the rules of the road

I wish i could do as you say. But I have attempted to ride in the street before but people around here travel at 40mph on 25mph limit road. Some hit 50. If i'm riding at 25mph, most will try to over take me and some nearly clip me when the cut me off. So now i ride my bike on the street and scooter on sidewalk. My city if full of lazy people, barely anyone walk here so sidewalk is usually clear. Now I stop at every crosswalk before crossing regardless of light pattern.
 
Jay64 said:
Yep. I had an incident when I was landing a pretty big jump while snowboarding and some dim wit chick comes to a stop in the landing zone to wait for her friends. I would have cleaned her out if I landed good, but instead I tried to be nice and flick a hard turn as I was landing to avoid her. Hit a patch of ice with my rail, wiped out and broke my wrist the week before race season started. I can tell you for sure, she would have made a much softer landing then that patch of ice. I decided from then on to look out for myself first, and use any body that puts me in danger by their stupidity as a nice soft landing cushion.

Bad analogy. That is a completely different situation than someone opening a car door into oncoming traffic. If you are jumping you are putting yourself in a situation where you can't stop or avoid what's below you. It is your responsibility to time it so that no one will enter the landing zone while you are in the air. Before jumping, take a look around and make sure that no one could enter your landing zone from above or the side, have someone spot the jump for you to tell you when it is safe to go if you can't see the landing. If you were in a terrain park or a designated jumping area, I appologize, you'd have been in the right there.
 
i never cycle at more than 5mph on the side walk. loads of people are on the side walk and you would need to honk them and slow down too much, so its a waste of time anyway. i feel it is the pedestrians domain. 25mph bikes should be on the road. the average car speed in my city is 17mph (stop lights, jams) so i am fine on the roads. the trick is to take the lane when you are fast then drivers have to pay more attention to passing you.
 
swade said:
Bad analogy. That is a completely different situation than someone opening a car door into oncoming traffic. If you are jumping you are putting yourself in a situation where you can't stop or avoid what's below you. It is your responsibility to time it so that no one will enter the landing zone while you are in the air. Before jumping, take a look around and make sure that no one could enter your landing zone from above or the side, have someone spot the jump for you to tell you when it is safe to go if you can't see the landing. If you were in a terrain park or a designated jumping area, I appologize, you'd have been in the right there.

Yes, I agree it was a totally different situation, but I was making the analogy of using a person as a cushion rather then taking the hit for someone else's stupidity. And yes, it was a designated set of jumps and she was waiting behind the jump when I came down, so I couldn't see her there before I hit it. I have been riding motorcycles on the street for over 15 years and have seen almost everything. I think your argument technically stands for motorcycles and bicycles too. It is your responsibility for your own safety. You need to try to anticipate every move that a car is going to make before they know they are going to make it. Like mentioned earlier in this thread, if you see someone sitting in a parked car, you need to assume that there is a good possibility they are going to open the door. If you see a car at a driveway, you need to assume they are not going to see you and probably will pull out in front of you. However, that does not make it alright for them to do it. I do my best to avoid bad situations, but it happens to everyone, and I am a strong believer that people who don't pay attention on the roadways when they are driving big SUVs and such, need a good wake up call when they put someone else's life in danger. If that means cushioning my body when they open a door on me, or breaking off their side mirror when they change lanes into me, so be it.
 
Where I live riding a bike on the sidewalk is illegal and you can be fined for doing so.The only time bikes are allowed on sidewalks is if the bike wheel diameter is 20in. and less.The law was so written as to keep small children off the roads.

I do occasionally ride on the sidewalk when traffic has gone nuts like 5 o'clock rush hour.When using the sidewalk I give the pedestrians the right of way and getting back on the walk can be hazzardous (that rut between the grass and the sidewalk).I generally feel safer on the road.

Eric
 
Looking back at someone that looks at you is a completely subconscious reaction.

If the person isn't flagged into full alertness, he will stay in subconscious autopilot mode and just run you over. Being looked at means very little.
 
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