Скачать или смотреть Dooring Cyclist | Cyclist Getting Doored Explained by Bicycle Injury Lawyer | Bike Accident

Bicycle injury lawyer, Jim Dodson discussed the issue of "dooring" and how it's very problematic for cyclists because of the magnitude of the injuries that occur when someone comes in contact on their bicycle with a car door that's been thrown open into their path suddenly. Dooring cyclists is a problem!

Can you imagine the physics involved if a bicycle is traveling, even at 10 miles an hour, but many times, much faster at 15, or 18, or even 20, and suddenly a car, either the front door driver, or the rear driver's side passenger throws their car door open. This can happen in less than a second and it can extend three or four feet into the path of a cyclist and the consequences can be horrendous.

Dooring is so dangerous, in fact, that Florida has a statute making it illegal for someone to open a car door into the path of a cyclist. The unfortunate thing for cyclists is that drivers are unaware of the danger involved in "dooring". They're not thinking of cyclists, particularly when they're parked, and getting out of their car. They may be reminded if they're next to a bicycle lane but most of the time they are not. They've arrived at their destination, they've got somewhere to go, they're looking to collect their things and they open the door without looking.

Someone opening their door in the path of a cyclist commonly occurs where a vehicle is parked parallel with the direction of traffic and there may be a bike lane next to the driver's door, and then more commonly, there might be a sharrow lane where the lane is being shared with the vehicle, forcing the bike typically to the right-hand side, or in the situations where there's no bike lane and no sharrow, the cyclist is simply riding to the right to stay out of the way of vehicles.

As a cyclist and attorney, Jim Dodson (aka The Florida Bike Guy) tells cyclists to always be scanning ahead to determine if a car parked on the right have people in them that might be opening their doors. Cyclists need to make sure to move out of the door zone as they pass. Jim suggests that cyclists "take the lane" or position on the road that's safest to avoid being "doored". He suggests taking the position safest for the cyclist, which is out of the door zone.

In the situations where the cyclist is on the right side of the car, they typically have a much narrower window within which to ride because there may not be a lane to your right, they may just be restricted to the bike lane and right beside that may be the curb. So the cyclist has to be very careful.The prudent thing to do when in a situation where there's multiple cars parked in a straight line and there's a bike lane to the right, the cyclist should slow down because you just don't know if someone's gonna sit in that car and throw the door open, it could be a child or anyone.

"Dooring" injuries are very significant. It's almost impossible to avoid an injury. Most cyclists sustain some type of a fracture or a spinal injury just because of the mechanics involved in these types of crashes. If the cyclist is injured, they should choose a lawyer who understands the mechanics of this type of cycling crash and the mechanics of the injury that has occurred.

So if you've been injured in a "dooring" incident with a driver or a passenger, make sure that you choose a lawyer who understands "dooring" accidents and understands where the legal responsibility lies, and how to help you get the best result physically in your recovery, and financially in holding the driver or passenger responsible.

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