Don’t Door Me!

Don’t door me: a common accident scenario is San Francisco is the driver who parallel parks and swings open their car door without checking their mirror for an oncoming bicyclist or motorcyclist. Drivers need to make sure the coast is clear befor opening their car door to exit. Drivers need to be sure there are no cyclists riding alongside their car or fast approaching. By using the side mirror, rear view mirror and by turning around, a driver can spot an approaching cyclist and circumvent a disaster. I have handled two such cases where a cyclist lost a finger and another where a motorcyclist suffered a brain injury after being doored. A cyclist cannot anticipate when a driver will open a door, but a driver can easily detect a cyclist who may be in the line of danger. Goto www.yieldtolife.com for more driver safety tips.