Classic Accident

dannyfrankszzz <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Any suggestion that fault lies with me the cyclist is completely nonsensical - the driver opened
: the door without looking - end of story! Guilty!

it's prehaps not clear, but I'm sure everyone agrees that legally the driver is guilty.

What people are trying to point out is that this sort of accident can be avoided by better road
positioning on the part of hte cyclist.

That's not a defence of the driver, or an attempt to make you feel bad, just that thinking like that
may stop it happening again rather than marking it down as "just one of these things" or
"un-avoidable".

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune clune.orgclune.orgOpen ↗ Power is delightful. Absolute power is absolutely delightful -
Lord Lester

In "]news:[email hidden], Arthur Clune <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

dannyfrankszzz said:

Any suggestion that fault lies with me the cyclist is completely nonsensical - the driver opened
the door without looking - end of story! Guilty!

it's prehaps not clear, but I'm sure everyone agrees that legally the driver is guilty.

That's not a defence of the driver, or an attempt to make you feel bad, just that thinking like
that may stop it happening again rather than marking it down as "just one of these things" or
"un-avoidable".

Well put.

I'm afraid that this often happens: someone posts about a collision that they have had that someone
else caused, and everyone posts telling the original poster that they "could have avoided it if only
they'd..." and the original poster is made to feel bad instead of getting helpful advice.

Ambrose

Ambrose Nankivell must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

In "]news:[email hidden], Arthur Clune <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

dannyfrankszzz said:

Any suggestion that fault lies with me the cyclist is completely nonsensical - the driver opened
the door without looking - end of story! Guilty!

it's prehaps not clear, but I'm sure everyone agrees that legally the driver is guilty.

That's not a defence of the driver, or an attempt to make you feel bad, just that thinking like
that may stop it happening again rather than marking it down as "just one of these things" or
"un-avoidable".

Well put.

I'm afraid that this often happens: someone posts about a collision that they have had that
someone else caused, and everyone posts telling the original poster that they "could have
avoided it if only they'd..." and the original poster is made to feel bad instead of getting
helpful advice.

Ambrose

I agree, Arthur is much more eloquent than me.

Ian

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]... SNIP

Quoted message said:

I'm suggesting that if you know you are putting yourself into a vulnerable position then you have
to be extra vigilant, car occupied, you know you have to pass close enough to be struck by a door,
slow to a crawling pace and indicate your presence with your bell or horn.

Ian

So, using that logic, the person in the car should know there are vulnerable people outside the car
who are not protected by several cwt of metal and therefore should be super extra vigilant and look
before they open the door. They are therefore totally at fault.

If you lived your life expecting the sky to fall in, you wouldn't get out of bed.

Regards manxshaun

manxshaun must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]... SNIP

Quoted message said:

I'm suggesting that if you know you are putting yourself into a vulnerable position then you have
to be extra vigilant, car occupied, you know you have to pass close enough to be struck by a
door, slow to a crawling pace and indicate your presence with your bell or horn.

Ian

So, using that logic, the person in the car should know there are vulnerable people outside the
car who are not protected by several cwt of metal and therefore should be super extra vigilant and
look before they open the door. They are therefore totally at fault.

If you lived your life expecting the sky to fall in, you wouldn't get out of bed.

Regards manxshaun

Of course taking it out of context is a great game.

Ian

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

manxshaun must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]... SNIP

Quoted message said:

I'm suggesting that if you know you are putting yourself into a vulnerable position then you
have to be extra vigilant, car occupied,

you

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

know you have to pass close enough to be struck by a door, slow to a crawling pace and indicate
your presence with your bell or horn.

Ian

So, using that logic, the person in the car should know there are

vulnerable

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

people outside the car who are not protected by several cwt of metal and therefore should be
super extra vigilant and look before they open the

door.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

They are therefore totally at fault.

If you lived your life expecting the sky to fall in, you wouldn't get

out of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bed.

Regards manxshaun

Of course taking it out of context is a great game.

Ian

I accept that you know best, since you did it first.

Regards manxshaun

manxshaun must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

manxshaun must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]... SNIP
> I'm suggesting that if you know you are putting yourself into a vulnerable position then you
> have to be extra vigilant, car occupied,

you

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> know you have to pass close enough to be struck by a door, slow to a crawling pace and indicate
> your presence with your bell or horn.
>
> Ian
>

So, using that logic, the person in the car should know there are

vulnerable

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

people outside the car who are not protected by several cwt of metal and therefore should be
super extra vigilant and look before they open the

door.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

They are therefore totally at fault.

If you lived your life expecting the sky to fall in, you wouldn't get

out of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bed.

Regards manxshaun

Of course taking it out of context is a great game.

Ian

I accept that you know best, since you did it first.

Regards manxshaun

ner ner

"dannyfrankszzz" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

I was involved in an accident today:

Parked cars on the left, stationary traffic on the right and I'm coming up in between on my
bicycle (not very fast). Guess what, someone in one of the parked cars opens their passenger door
(driver side) without looking as I'm cycling along. Next second, I'm on the tarmac and bleeding.

I got a witness's details who saw the accident. The person who opened the door without looking
basically said it was her fault.

What should I do?

Should I bother making a claim given the circumstances of the situation?

Passing any traffic, even "stationary traffic" on the left ("undertaking"😉 has always struck me as
far riskier than passing said traffic on the right ("overtaking"😉, partly because of scenarios like
the one you describe. I agree that the door opener should have looked, but where I live the
undertaking maneuver you describe would be illegal, and you would indeed be partly at fault.

You refer to "pasenger door, driver side". Was this a four door sedan (saloon) with the offending
party getting out of the back seat? If so, it's conceivable that someone in that position could be
unable to see you even if they did look, especially if the driver's seat is occupied. One more
reason to obey the same laws that motor vehicles obey, and pass on the right.

Sorry about the accident, and I hope that you, your bike, and the other party are not seriously
damaged or injured.
--
mark

Arthur Clune said:

dannyfrankszzz <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Any suggestion that fault lies with me the cyclist is completely nonsensical - the driver opened
: the door without looking - end of story! Guilty!

it's prehaps not clear, but I'm sure everyone agrees that legally the driver is guilty.

What people are trying to point out is that this sort of accident can be avoided by better road
positioning on the part of hte cyclist.

Better road positioning is one of those things that is often good in theory, but sometimes just not
possible in practise.

Many times I've ridden along roads where there's stationary or slow moving traffic and parked cars,
a fully opened car door would *hit* the nearest lane of traffic. To ride far enough out to be
completely unreachable by door means being stuck in with cars at 0km/hr

I nearly took the door off a parked car last Sunday night. Motorist threw the door wide open and
stepped out. I was driving a car with 100W of headlights on, he's lucky I'm a cyclist, 'cos I was
expecting it and swerved around him.

Quoted message said:

That's not a defence of the driver, or an attempt to make you feel bad, just that thinking like
that may stop it happening again rather than marking it down as "just one of these things" or
"un-avoidable".

Quoted message said:

Arthur

ADrian

---------------------------------------------------------------
Adrian Tritschler "][email hidden] Latitude 38°S, Longitude 145°E,
Altitude 50m, Shoe size 44
---------------------------------------------------------------

Ben said:

This thread in uk.rec.motorcycles may help, it's the same thing but happened to a biker:

or this

tinyurl.comfxkeOpen ↗

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

manxshaun must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

manxshaun must be edykated coz e writed:

>
> "Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]... SNIP
>> I'm suggesting that if you know you are putting yourself into a vulnerable position then you
>> have to be extra vigilant, car occupied,

you

Quoted message said:

>> know you have to pass close enough to be struck by a door, slow to a crawling pace and
>> indicate your presence with your bell or horn.
>>
>> Ian
>>
>
> So, using that logic, the person in the car should know there are

vulnerable

Quoted message said:

> people outside the car who are not protected by several cwt of metal

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> therefore should be super extra vigilant and look before they open the

door.

Quoted message said:

> They are therefore totally at fault.
>
> If you lived your life expecting the sky to fall in, you wouldn't get

out of

Quoted message said:

> bed.
>
> Regards manxshaun
>
>
Of course taking it out of context is a great game.

Ian

I accept that you know best, since you did it first.

Regards manxshaun

ner ner

Cha lhisagh dooinney erbee ve nearagh dy ghoaill-rish e oill tra t'eh er ve camm; cre te agh gra
ayns goan elley dy vel eh ny s'creeney jiu na v'eh jea.

manxshaun

manxshaun must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

manxshaun must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
> manxshaun must be edykated coz e writed:
>
>>
>> "Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]... SNIP
>>> I'm suggesting that if you know you are putting yourself into a vulnerable position then you
>>> have to be extra vigilant, car occupied,
you
>>> know you have to pass close enough to be struck by a door, slow to a crawling pace and
>>> indicate your presence with your bell or horn.
>>>
>>> Ian
>>>
>>
>> So, using that logic, the person in the car should know there are
vulnerable
>> people outside the car who are not protected by several cwt of metal

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> therefore should be super extra vigilant and look before they open the
door.
>> They are therefore totally at fault.
>>
>> If you lived your life expecting the sky to fall in, you wouldn't get
out of
>> bed.
>>
>> Regards manxshaun
>>
>>
> Of course taking it out of context is a great game.
>
> Ian
>
I accept that you know best, since you did it first.

Regards manxshaun

ner ner

Cha lhisagh dooinney erbee ve nearagh dy ghoaill-rish e oill tra t'eh er ve camm; cre te agh gra
ayns goan elley dy vel eh ny s'creeney jiu na v'eh jea.

manxshaun

But I don't believe I am wrong, I was just pointing out that you sounded childish, so I
reciprocated in kind.

Shegin da'n dried kiarail eu ve jeh nyn gree hene.

Ian

Klingons off the starboard bow, Captain...

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
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Dave Larrington must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

Klingons off the starboard bow, Captain...

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
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Hab SoSlI' Quch!

Ian

Ian said:

Hab SoSlI' Quch!

You do and you'll clear it up...

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

Dave Larrington must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

Ian said:

Hab SoSlI' Quch!

You do and you'll clear it up...

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

You've been lying down on the job again haven't you?

Ian