Drivers opening car doors without looking

[SidG]

https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/19/shocking-moment-bik...

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV2cA7zEIvI

This is terrible. One of my biggest fears as a newish rider. From the video it looks like the rider had no space at all in his lane to avoid it and was going pretty slow. Driver parked on double yellow too. Words fail me.

[vonhosen]

Aside of the actions of the car driver the bike rider didn't react at all to the threat. The cyclist could already be seen taking avoidance action to the opening door but the bike rider didn't slow at all.

Edited by vonhosen on Thursday 13th June 13:07

[moanthebairns]

My mate did this with his smart car and a lorry. The fortwo did not fair well.

[dern]

vonhosen said:

Aside of the actions of the car driver the bike rider react at all to the threat. The cyclist could already be seen taking avoidance action to the opening door but the bike rider didn't slow at all.

Absolutely, you can see the door opening from miles away but the rider just drove at it.

Even if the door wasn't opening when they approached, they're aiming at a small gap with someone clearly in the car seat of a parked car and there's oncoming traffic. There's go to be a point where the rider does some kind of assessment and slows or stops accordingly. They may as well have just ridden straight in to the bus with the amount of care being taken.

[SidG]

Agree. Looking back at it again the signs were there for the rider to take action. Goes to show that we have to concentrate so much in these situations. Loss of it just for a few seconds can be life changing.

[designforlife]

I believe the Dutch reach is being added to the next revision of the highway code, so the situation should at least improve with future drivers.

[BuzzBravado]

Its easy to be critical of his reactions, or lack of, but we are expecting something to happen, he wasn't, and there is half a dozen things he could have been focused on in that scene. He should have gone a bit wider but he was probably more concerned about the bus. An easy mistake any of us could have made.

We know we are supposed to ride defensively but you can guarantee we all let our guard down from time to time.

Edited by BuzzBravado on Thursday 13th June 13:34

[vonhosen]

BuzzBravado said:

We know we are supposed to ride defensively but you can guarantee we all led our guard down from time to time.

The same goes for drivers too.
When two letting their guard down meet each other..........

[dern]

BuzzBravado said:

Its easy to be critical of his reactions, or lack of, but we are expecting something to happen, he wasn't, and there is half a dozen things he could have been focused on in that scene. He should have gone a bit wider but he was probably more concerned about the bus. An easy mistake any of us could have made.

We know we are supposed to ride defensively but you can guarantee we all let our guard down from time to time.

There's times you can let your guard down but given all the signs were there that this definitely wouldn't be one of them. It's horrible he got hurt, it's crap that the guy was parked there and then opened his door but the severity of the outcome was totally in the hands of the rider. Please don't assume that I'm trying to argue, be patronising or anything that argues with what you say *but* I would definitely recommend some extra training if you're not seeing red flags all over the place in circumstances like that when riding. You're right that it's a lot easier to see these things with the benefit of hindsight but with the appropriate bit of training you can totally avoid most stuff like that.

[Bikesalot]

designforlife said:

I believe the Dutch reach is being added to the next revision of the highway code, so the situation should at least improve with future drivers.

Better than the Dutch hand grenade

[Pica-Pica]

dern said:

vonhosen said:

Aside of the actions of the car driver the bike rider react at all to the threat. The cyclist could already be seen taking avoidance action to the opening door but the bike rider didn't slow at all.

Absolutely, you can see the door opening from miles away but the rider just drove at it.

Even if the door wasn't opening when they approached, they're aiming at a small gap with someone clearly in the car seat of a parked car and there's oncoming traffic. There's go to be a point where the rider does some kind of assessment and slows or stops accordingly. They may as well have just ridden straight in to the bus with the amount of care being taken.

The door is visibly opening at 04 seconds, and the rider passes at 06 seconds. A full 2 seconds to react. As has been said, the rider ahead moves out, a big, big clue as well. That is not to remove blame from the car driver.

[Dibble]

The “problem” with riding a bike or scooter is that you can be 100% in the right, but in any incident/collision, you’re always likely to come off worst. Being “right” isn’t really much help after the fact; much better to avoid it if at all possible I think that could have been avoided and it sounded to me like he was accelerating as he approached the parked cars and a narrowing gap with fewer escape routes. I’d like to think I’d have been at least slowing down, if not preparing to stop and wait.

[dern]

Dibble said:

The “problem” with riding a bike or scooter is that you can be 100% in the right, but in any incident/collision, you’re always likely to come off worst. Being “right” isn’t really much help after the fact; much better to avoid it if at all possible I think that could have been avoided and it sounded to me like he was accelerating as he approached the parked cars and a narrowing gap with fewer escape routes. I’d like to think I’d have been at least slowing down, if not preparing to stop and wait.

I bet he was accelerating to make the gap before the bus came past, was looking at the bus and didn't see the door opening until the last second, if at all.

[Ho Lee Kau]

BuzzBravado said:

Its easy to be critical of his reactions, or lack of, but we are expecting something to happen, he wasn't, and there is half a dozen things he could have been focused on in that scene. He should have gone a bit wider but he was probably more concerned about the bus. An easy mistake any of us could have made.

We know we are supposed to ride defensively but you can guarantee we all let our guard down from time to time.

Edited by BuzzBravado on Thursday 13th June 13:34

Exactly.
Potentially: He was minding the bus and he saw the door open but was too terrified to swerve towards the bus.
Sometimes things just happen.
But, being on motorbike on the road, assumption is the mother of all fkups.

[dern]

Ho Lee Kau said:

Exactly.
Potentially: He was minding the bus and he saw the door open but was too terrified to swerve towards the bus.
Sometimes things just happen.
But, being on motorbike on the road, assumption is the mother of all fkups.

You don't have to accept that some things just happen. You can get training (or train yourself) to be better at spotting potential danger and acting appropriately when you see it. This was totally avoidable.

[poo at Paul's]

SidG said:

https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/19/shocking-moment-bik...

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV2cA7zEIvI

This is terrible. One of my biggest fears as a newish rider. From the video it looks like the rider had no space at all in his lane to avoid it and was going pretty slow. Driver parked on double yellow too. Words fail me.

You'll be dead by next Thursday if you think that!

Plenty of time to react, come to a complete stop in fact. If he hadn't have accelerated like a nob, flat out toward it, that is!

Seriously, that was fking st riding. even the way he nailed it past that smart car in the junction, having been hidden behind the car that turned off left, made me cringe.

Edited by poo at Paul's on Thursday 13th June 18:50

[poo at Paul's]

Bikesalot said:

Better than the Dutch hand grenade

But not as good as the Dutch reach Around!

[SidG]

poo at Paul's said:

You'll be dead by next Thursday if you think that!

Plenty of time to react, come to a complete stop in fact. If he hadn't have accelerated like a nob, flat out toward it, that is!

Seriously, that was fking st riding. even the way he nailed it past that smart car in the junction, having been hidden behind the car that turned off left, made me cringe.

Edited by poo at Paul's on Thursday 13th June 18:50

Like I said looking at it again I agree. It was avoidable and I would be way more defensive, see the warning signs earlier and ride so I could stop. Think watching it first time it just looked as if it happened very quickly but you’re right, enough time to react if he was riding defensively enough to be able to take action. I’m still learning everyday and seeing this kind of stuff reinforces dangers/situations to look out for.

Edited by SidG on Thursday 13th June 21:26

[Dog Star]

Pica-Pica said:

The door is visibly opening at 04 seconds, and the rider passes at 06 seconds. A full 2 seconds to react. As has been said, the rider ahead moves out, a big, big clue as well. That is not to remove blame from the car driver.

Piss poor riding to be honest - he was miles away and seemed not to react at all; bit of dashcam-warrior steaming in there?

I've been knocked off by someone opening their door - slightly different circumstances though. I was filtering down between two stationary rows of cars both travelling the same direction just coming up to some traffic lights. Passenger in a car in the right hand lane decided he was getting out and simply flung his door open literally feet in front of me, because I was filtering I wouln't have been able to swerve anyway, and because it was so close the door was probably only open 45 or so degrees do I hit the edge. I was pitched into the car on the left and put my head through the window behind the driver (it was a five day old Clio being driven by a friend of my mum). I actually stayed on the bike.

Luckily a police car drove past literally 30 seconds later (he was quite sympathetic being a CBR600 rider), he called a "proper" trafpol who rocked up, asked "who opened the door?" and had the car passenger hauled off and charged (can't remember what the exact terms were - this was 2001).

This happened on a Saturday at 1pm and on Monday I received a call from third parties insurers admitting full liability and they sorted everything. Easiest insurance claim ever!

I'm very very wary filtering now, but to be honest if someone opened their door with so little time to react again I'd still hit them. I just mitigate the risk by filtering slower.

[warch]

That's just piss poor riding, he was going way too fast, he was swerving in and out of lane and didn't clock that the car had stopped on double yellow lines (where someone is liable to nip out to do something quickly).

I'd never pass a stationary car that close at that sort of speed. I had a bloke in a Ferrari open a door into my path in the middle lane of the M4 once as I was about to filter past him so nowhere's safe.