hotbike

Last night, on a freshly paved road, which hasn't been striped yet, I was going past the Dominoes Pizza shop, when a car door opened and hit my right rear Pannier. It's a home-made Coroplast Pannier, and three of the zip-ties that held it to the rack were ripped loose.

Yes, she was the Dominoes Pizza Delivery driver. I'm surprised to see a 16 year old girl delivering Pizza at night, after dark, but anyway…

I was not hurt and she was alright, and we didn't see any scratches on the car door. I said I didn't want to report it to insurance because I just got a new car and I'm paying double what I used to. She didn't want to report it to insurance company either.

I had four (4) headlights lit, with two (2) amber marker lights and another headlight on my helmet.

I figure the biggest contributing factor to this minor (no pun intended) collision was the lack of road striping . There was no double-yellow, and cars from the other direction are coming out of a blind curve. And the fact that Dominoes hires teenagers to drive for their business also adds to the chances of an accident.

I didn't want to use the name of the Pizza chain, but I felt I had to. Just a heads up, look out for those pizza guys (or gals)!
Anyone with a similar situation, feel free to give some feedback.

I-Like-To-Bike

What would/could you have reported/claimed? Three broken zipties?

hotbike

I think the Deductible would cost a lot more than three zip-ties, LOL.


Here's a video of the fresh pavement , in the daytime. The Dominoes joint is on the left at 0:43. Note the lack of double yellow, and in fact I am riding far to the left myself.

The near dooring happened going uphill, the other direction, very slow, maybe 6MPH.

It's better that something on the bike got broken , and I didn't get hurt.

I-Like-To-Bike

So true. Perhaps a learning experience for both you and the driver.

hotbike

Yes. I was my fault. I KNEW it was dangerous, on account of the lack of Painted Lines on the road. I also think the extreme blackness of the road, being so fresh, leads to the road being darker than usual.

I did have a car passing close on my Left when I was (sort of) doored.

But Yes, it serves as a reminder that I should be more careful.

phoebeisis

You were you in the door zone?
Why?
Distracted- or edged over by a car-just forgot-we all do
or though you had a good enough view to tell that there wasn't a driver in the car?

dynodonn 

Hell, I'll see your doored pannier, and raise you with my two ransacked ones ( irate motorist looking for my personal ID, but that's another story).

FBinNY 

You may have increased your risk by riding in the door lane, but it's clearly the fault of the girl who opened the door into traffic. She's very lucky that you weren't hurt, and that you weren't a car which would have sheared off the door.

Since there was no real damage, you have a simple choice. If you feel she learned a lesson, you could simply forget about it. Or you could report her to the boss, and let him decide on an appropriate response.

BTW- if you have qualms about maybe costing he her job, you might delay reporting and/or do it in a way that doesn't implicate her. (only works if they have multiple delivery drivers). If you go this route, preface it by saying it's no harm, no foul, and you're simply advising of the event and asking that they remind ALL their drivers of the problem and the need to be more attentive.

IME- business owners usually appreciate these "heads up" notices. In a similar situation, I ended up being thanked by way of a gift card for 12 boxes/12 of Dunkin donuts. It was issued by corporate, and whenever I used it, the staffers figured I was a VIP and offered free coffee to go with them.

hotbike

I was going slow, and I thought there was no one in the car. I did ring my bell, and the door opened anyway. Yes, There also was a car to my left, so you could say I was edged over.

FBinNY, No , I don't plan to say anything to the Manager, or the Corporate Organization behind Dominoes Pizza.

FBinNY 

What's the matter with you? You have an overly developed sense of proportion. If you don't know how to blow up a molehill into a mountain, you don't belong in this forum.

Cyril 

I laughed out loud.

I-Like-To-Bike

Ain't that the Truth?

CB HI

Was the motorist really at fault here. If the OP was in the center of the lane (similar to the way he was riding in the video), the girl looked and no one was in the door zone and then the OP was edged into the door zone as the girl opened the door?

Is that why the pannier got doored and not the handlebar?

FBinNY 

In New York State, someone opening a door into a traffic lane is automatically at fault. It's the responsibility of anyone exiting a car on the road side to ensure that they can do safely.

I don't know if they still do this (young NY drivers speak up) but back in the day of bench seats, prospective drivers taking their road test, would immediately have 15 points deducted if they entered or exited from the driver's side. Center consoles and individual seats ended that, but the basic rule is still in place.

BTW- there may have been a second, possibly more consequential violation. NYS restricts young drivers from driving for pay, so if the driver was below the cut-off age and working for someone not in her immediate family (an allowed exception) the shop could be cited. That law might have changed over the 50 years since I had to worry about it.

CB HI

True in most states, but if the door zone was clear and the driver looked, opened the door and the cyclist rode into the door zone after the driver started opening the door, then how is it the drivers fault? She met the legal obligation to check the door zone clear, as required by law.

This one is either on the OP or the motorist that squeezed him into the door zone.

If the OP was in the door zone the entire time, why did his pannier get doored rather than his wider handle bar?

Chris516

The OP, and a dumb 16yr.-old driver. Even though she was not in the lane, and parked at the time. I bet she only received her drivers' license a short time ago. But that doesn't excuse what she did.

achoo

The door hit the bike.

Ergo, the door zone wasn't clear.

phoebeisis

Right-I have done the same thing-frequently-violated my own 5 foot parked car rule
You take a quick look-don't see a driver-figure it is empty-edge over a bit because of a car-
usually you get lucky-
but I probably skim a parked car every other day-maybe avoiding crap in road-maybe no good reason

RPK79

'Round here you have to be 18 to deliver pizzas. Don't know if there are laws dictating that or it is just the business practice though.

JoeyBike

Stop giving motorists "free shots" at you.

That applies to WAY more situations than just the door zone BTW.

hotbike

Yes, I was forced over by a passing car, and that driver in turn was forced over by the car coming the other way, which in turn happened because the Double Yellow has Not been painted yet.

I'm looking for news articles pertaining to accidents involving Pizza Delivery Drivers, but I came up with this instead:

Domino's Pizza now delivers by cargo trike in downtown Portland | BikePortland.org


CB HI wrote: "If the OP was in the door zone the entire time, why did his pannier get doored rather than his wider handle bar?"

That is on account that I was directly abreast of the car door when it opened. I was going uphill very slowly, not making an effort to go faster.

I want to say something to the pizza management, but on the other hand , I don't want anything to do with the situation. I think this girl is going to get *****.

By the way, on closer examination, my Pannier was all scuffed up, and the red LED marker light has bit of paint on it from the car door.
I don't want to have to spend any of my time in court.

Maybe I will say something to the shop manager, but not single-out any particular driver, i.e. not say it was a girl in a silver car.

CB HI

Still indicates that you may not have been in the door zone when (if) the girl looked to see if the area was clear for her to open the door.

Blaming her when you did not see her, do not know if she looked and you may not have been in the door zone when she looked, and then wanting to complain to the manager, seems like a big stretch and unfair to the girl.

hotbike

yeah, you're right, I don't blame the girl. I place the blame on myself for riding on a freshly paved road, where the stripes haven't been painted yet, after dark, I mean it was dark, well past twilight . I will be more careful from now on.

Con-Tact Brand | Adhesive Shelf Liners

And I had just covered the Panniers with Con-Tact Paper two days prior. It was all scuffed up and I had to do it over. Aurrrrgh!

CB HI

Great sarcasm, when the same thing happens to you, let us know if it worked out any better for you the second time.

hotbike

There is a chrome plated cross tube, to prevent the Panniers from swaying. The Zip Ties that held the Pannier to the Cross Tube are what snapped.

IMG_3354 by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr