Cyclists across the country understand that they face an elevated risk of danger any time they share the road with other, bigger vehicles.
But a potential surprising risk comes in a rather simple form: the door of an unmoving car.
What is dooring?
Momentum Mag examines the injuries caused by dooring. “Dooring” refers to the act of a driver in a parked vehicle opening up the door of their car into the path of a biker because they did not check to ensure the path was clear before doing so. This often happens over bike lanes, but can also happen when a driver opens a door over the sidewalk.
In dooring incidents, many times, a biker may hit the door fully and fall. They can also end up ejected over the top of the door itself, potentially into traffic. Even if they land away from other vehicles, they can suffer from concussions, broken bones, lacerations and other serious injuries.
The biggest dangers
It is possible for a driver to open a door into the side of a cyclist, too. In these cases, the cyclist may end up tipping over into the road and getting hit by other motorists. It is also possible for cyclists to panic when they see a door open right in their path, causing them to swerve and end up hit as well.
Though the act itself seems like a small one, the consequences and the injuries that it causes have the potential to be dire. This is why both motorists and cyclists alike should have an awareness of this dooring phenomenon.