Cyclists face many dangers when sharing the road with other cars. Dooring may not even make it to the top five list of concerns.
However, it is still a major problem that cyclists face every time they hit the road, so it is an important issue to understand and discuss.
Understanding dooring
Momentum Mag discusses dooring as an issue that plagues the bicyclist community. Dooring happens when a person inside of a parked car opens their car door into the path of a bicyclist without realizing that someone was approaching.
This is a fairly common type of accident, and it can have serious impacts on the cyclist. First of all, hitting a car door can do a lot of damage, even at the speeds a cyclist can get up to. Cyclists in dooring accidents have reported broken bones, head injuries, brain trauma and more.
The injuries that occur
Cyclists can also get launched over the top of the car door, which can cause even more serious impact injuries. The glass of the window may break, resulting in cuts and lacerations, too.
Getting doored can also push a cyclist into traffic. Cars may not slow down in time to avoid hitting the cyclist, resulting in severe injuries from impact or even getting run over. It is often the same level of severity as accidents involving cars and pedestrians.
Thus, it is important to actively prevent these incidents where possible. Cyclists can give parked cars a wide berth, and more importantly, drivers can always check in both directions before they open any door of their vehicle.