How to minimize awfulness when doored

After Dustin Valenta's awful dooring and hit-and-run last week, I've been thinking about how to minimize injury when one is doored. I was lucky enough to come away from a dooring this winter with minor injuries because I swerved left and THANK GAWD there was no car in the lane behind me, but I could've very easily been hit by a car in the travel lane and sustained a really serious injury.

So when you see the door open and you don't have time to stop: what's the best thing to do? Should you brake hard and hope that you don't skid into something that will kill you? Steer into the open door?

I haven't found any great physics/medicine papers on this yet, and would appreciate the input.

Tags: dooring, injury, prevention

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on February 17, 2013 at 2:10am

Exactly. If you stay fully aware of your surroundings (what's ahead as well as what's approaching from behind) and adjust your speed and position as needed, you can almost always avoid doorings (as in my rough statistics above).

If a crash of any kind is inevitable, consciously overriding instinct and letting your body relax (instead of tensing up) can help reduce potential injury. It takes a bit of mental discipline (related to learning to take a fall in martial arts), but it can work. I've used it a few times and was able to walk away from those crashes with no significant injuries.

Duppie 13.5185km said:

This.
Much better to avoid a dooring in the first place than to deal it one.

Kevin C 4.1 mi said:
Since my dooring on Milwaukee in April of 2009 (from the passenger side of a car stopped in traffic), I have slowed my speed considerably when riding on Milwaukee Avenue. Additionally, I typically ride just to the left of the stripe delineating the bike lane. I make frequent shoulder checks so I have a pretty good mental image of what's coming up behind me in the lane of traffic, should I need to move further to the left unexpectedly. And there are times of the day/levels of traffic that I simply will not ride on Milwaukee Avenue.

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Permalink Reply by Diego Rael on February 22, 2013 at 10:26pm

I just don't ride fast if I have to ride close enough to a row of cars. If I can't clear the door safely within a foot or two without running into traffic slow is the key word.

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Permalink Reply by 1zt7hr8qm0y90 on February 23, 2013 at 1:04pm

I use right and left helmet mirrors by Third Eye. Once you use mirrors you feel insecure without them. You will be able to see if you can veer left without looking over your shoulder and it's quicker. This comes in handy when taxi's think the dedicated bike lanes are for them when staged for a passenger (be sure to flip them off). I have thought about shoulder, elbow, rib and knee pads and a full faced motorcycle helmet. I know I'll be critisized for this but outside of the city of Chicago sidewalk riding is either legal or not enforced (see bicycle rules of the road). Be careful at blind alleys and driveways. Slow down and go to the left. If crossing a major street via the sidewalk let the first car in line start before you do so you won't get right hooked as people have been known not to signal. Obey the walk don't walk icon if available. It is said that this happens because drivers aren't expecting to see a bicycle on the sidewalk but this is not a valid point because a pedestrian is an even less visible "target." To use a quote from Metra. "Look, Listen, Live.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin K on February 23, 2013 at 1:11pm

GO SLOW IN THE DOOR ZONE

1. It increases you odds of being able to stop before you hit the door, avoiding the accident entirely

2. If you do hit the door, slower speed = less force on impact. Force of impact is the SQUARE of your velocity.

Impact of a 10mph crash has 4X the force of a 5mph crash
Impact of a 15mph crash has 9X the force of a 5mph crash
Impact of a 20mph crash has 16X the force of a 5mph crash

3. If you have time to stop or slow down, you're less likely to swerve to the left -- into traffic -- potentially getting run over by a car. As bad as slamming into a door might be, getting run over by a car or truck would be worse.

Dustin's dooring does sound particularly brutal, thank god he's doing ok, all things considered.

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Permalink Reply by J2O on February 23, 2013 at 10:24pm

1. Stay in the left 1/3 of the bike lane whenever there are cars parked on the right. This may annoy the guy behind you, but honestly, you're slowing him down for less than 30 seconds.

2. Look through the car. Look through the back/side windows and in the mirrors for occupants.

3. Don't trust the occupants. Even if they seem to be holding the door closed for you, assume that they're going to mindlessly fling the door open moments before you pass. Slow down and give them plenty of room to open the door. As you pass, yell "thank you!". Seriously. It works.

4. If they open the door, surge and unweight. Stomp hard on the last bit of pedal you have, then lift up; pretend you and your bike are floating. If you get lucky, the door with simply sweep you and your bike over a foot or two. This has saved me on a few occasions and you look totally badass.

5. If you do crash, go limp noodle. It's probably going to hurt and be messy. I got bumped by a car into the back of an SUV. Totally did a Loony Tunes with face and hands on the rear window. No injuries. Which was good because the guy that bumped me took off, destroying several parked cars in the process. The woman in the SUV was pretty traumatized, but I had her laughing by the time the cops showed-up. Had I tightened-up, I would have likely driven my face into her back window with completely different results.

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Permalink Reply by wig [ isaac ] on February 24, 2013 at 6:50am

I would like to see car doors swing open 175 deg on impact. Just like on a jeep wrangler.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Hochstadter on February 24, 2013 at 9:46am

And if only all cabs had sliding doors....

wig [ isaac ] said:

I would like to see car doors swing open 175 deg on impact. Just like on a jeep wrangler.

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Permalink Reply by h' 1.0 on February 24, 2013 at 11:16am

I'm concerned about all the crashes you're having. Are you on the bike all day, e.g. a messenger?

John Orleans said:

1. Stay in the left 1/3 of the bike lane whenever there are cars parked on the right. This may annoy the guy behind you, but honestly, you're slowing him down for less than 30 seconds.

2. Look through the car. Look through the back/side windows and in the mirrors for occupants.

3. Don't trust the occupants. Even if they seem to be holding the door closed for you, assume that they're going to mindlessly fling the door open moments before you pass. Slow down and give them plenty of room to open the door. As you pass, yell "thank you!". Seriously. It works.

4. If they open the door, surge and unweight. Stomp hard on the last bit of pedal you have, then lift up; pretend you and your bike are floating. If you get lucky, the door with simply sweep you and your bike over a foot or two. This has saved me on a few occasions and you look totally badass.

5. If you do crash, go limp noodle. It's probably going to hurt and be messy. I got bumped by a car into the back of an SUV. Totally did a Loony Tunes with face and hands on the rear window. No injuries. Which was good because the guy that bumped me took off, destroying several parked cars in the process. The woman in the SUV was pretty traumatized, but I had her laughing by the time the cops showed-up. Had I tightened-up, I would have likely driven my face into her back window with completely different results.

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Permalink Reply by J2O on February 24, 2013 at 12:52pm

Ha! I don't crash very often, but I avoid quite a few. I commute year round and have been riding for over two decades. Lots of opportunity for shenanigans.

h' 1.0 said:

I'm concerned about all the crashes you're having. Are you on the bike all day, e.g. a messenger?

John Orleans said:

1. Stay in the left 1/3 of the bike lane whenever there are cars parked on the right. This may annoy the guy behind you, but honestly, you're slowing him down for less than 30 seconds.

2. Look through the car. Look through the back/side windows and in the mirrors for occupants.

3. Don't trust the occupants. Even if they seem to be holding the door closed for you, assume that they're going to mindlessly fling the door open moments before you pass. Slow down and give them plenty of room to open the door. As you pass, yell "thank you!". Seriously. It works.

4. If they open the door, surge and unweight. Stomp hard on the last bit of pedal you have, then lift up; pretend you and your bike are floating. If you get lucky, the door with simply sweep you and your bike over a foot or two. This has saved me on a few occasions and you look totally badass.

5. If you do crash, go limp noodle. It's probably going to hurt and be messy. I got bumped by a car into the back of an SUV. Totally did a Loony Tunes with face and hands on the rear window. No injuries. Which was good because the guy that bumped me took off, destroying several parked cars in the process. The woman in the SUV was pretty traumatized, but I had her laughing by the time the cops showed-up. Had I tightened-up, I would have likely driven my face into her back window with completely different results.