Rubato

As I was reading this post, and add for Geico popped up. Imagine that. I took advantage of "contact us" and told them how ironic I found the situation.... I'll probably either loose my policy or have my rates ramp up.

genec

it wasn't a door zone until the idiot motorist parked there in the bike lane.

genec

You did see the oncoming traffic in the other lane, right? It appears that the road was narrow and had a bike lane. (check it on Google maps) The driver pulled over into the BL and left only part of the remaining narrow lane open. There is oncoming traffic, and the cyclist is doored in this remaining lane by a wide door that appears to take up most of the rest of the lane.

ro-monster

If you read the whole article, she does say about halfway through that she was taking the lane. She says she moved from the bike lane into the traffic lane to go around the car parked in the bike lane. Obviously she didn't move quite far enough, but the car door was apparently opened after she was partway past it, since it says it caught her pedal.

By the way, California law does require that you use the bike lane if one exists. You can leave it to avoid hazards and make turns, but you can't just ride in the traffic lane because you want to.

dynaryder

This is how the law is written in DC.

Please explain yourself. Are you laughing at the cyclist's misfortune?

CB HI

Way too many asshats blaming the cyclist including Geico.

Too many cyclist in VC forums claim there is no need for VC training. But when something like this happens, the blame the cyclist crowd jumps in with "the cyclist should have known better". Yet we see cyclist everyday that do not know better.

Watch some VC training videos, the door zone reaches out farther than even many here believe it does. Many large SUVs and older 2-door cars have really wide door zones.

Time for some of you to start really supporting VC training in 4th grade and updated in 10th grade with drivers ed.

CB HI

A motorist and his Geico adjuster both jerked me around a few years ago. Rather than the motorist just paying up $120 for me to do the repairs and he could avoid reporting it to Gieco, he backed out. Geico delayed the claim for a BS investigation and ended up paying $120 for the part, plus labor, plus a rental bike charge. Ended up around $400.

Try to be nice and they **** on you. At least they both had to pay for their BS.

sudo bike

This very likely has absolutely nothing to do with cars fearing doors, or a door zone. Drivers are proven to drive slower when roads are narrower. Apples and oranges.

Matariki

That's what insurance companies do. They minimize their claims by low-balling settlements. The victim can choose to accept or not. I would have gotten a lawyer, myself. But then again, I would not have been that close to the car.

sudo bike

True, and something to keep in mind. It has less to do with car/bike relationships (except for ignorance), and more to do with how insurance companies operate. Low-balled my Dad when he had a disc rupture on the job... stalled it through court until we had to either take a low settlement or lose the house. It's BS, they knew it was BS, but that's how they operate regardless of the subject matter.

Chris516

I don't know if anyone else is experiencing this. But when I play the video, it goes all purple.

degnaw

I don't really think that's possible, unless you're going so slowly that you can actually see in each car's wing mirror, react to it, and still have time to stop. And in Sweden, they have a ton of passenger-side door zone bike lanes, where it's literally impossible to "scan to ensure that doors are not coming" (since the mirrors are facing the driver, not the passenger).

CenturionIM

nah, it does not for me.
gah, you made me watch it again.

ChasH

After reading the last few posts I watched the video again and yes, the cyclist did try to "take the lane" as she was passing the car that had just parked in front of her but that large door opened right as she was passing. There was nothing she could do. Because a car was passing the other way she probably wasn't comfortable riding very close to the center line - there is some risk in doing that, obviously. The burden was on the driver to act with proper care and attention in this situation.


So IMO the motorist is entirely at fault. What a piece of work: she parks in the bike lane and a few seconds later takes out a cyclist on a fairly narrow road, totally oblivious to what's happening around her - a total lack of situational awareness. If a person were actively trying to take down a cyclist they could hardly do a more efficient job.

Chris516

I watched it again(through the purple), and it just proved again, why I don't like riding in bike lanes.

2manybikes

The insurance company is just trying to save money. It's a common thing. If you have any other good evidence to show them, they make back down.

Totally the other drivers fault, but one has to fight the insurance company, every time. It was easy for me.
Try again.

Rocketrobo

The injury is entirely preventable. The motorist only need to look at rearview mirror for a second.

rydabent

I dont remember whos ad it is but I love the one where a woman throws her door open and a car comes by and rips it off!!!

dynodonn 

That would be Esurance's "Only Human" commercial. The average US viewer would not stand for a version that had a cyclist being doored, flung into the traffic lane, then having the cyclist being ran over by a truck or bus.

Looigi

Whose fault it actually is has very little to do with it. Insurance companies are obligated to do what's in the overall best interest of its investors and shareholders. This generally means paying out as little as they can legally get away with, but not so little that it alienates enough customers that their overall business declines.

It's kinda like lawyers. They are obligated to do everything possible within the law that's in the best interest of their client, regardless of right/wrong, guilt/innocence, good/bad, or anything else.

genec

The motorist only had to recall that they passed a cyclist just a second ago... they didn't even need to look back... just retain some basic information for about oh 10 seconds...

Notso_fastLane

The insurance company always tries to portion out the blame, in states that allow it. They do anything to get out of paying every penny they can. Believe me, I just finished a two year battle with an insurance company. The courts ruled the other driver was 100% to blame, but it took two years, a lawyer, and netted me $4k. For me, it wasn't even about the money, I could have settled for more, but I wanted the ruling that said it was the other guy's fault, because I knew I was right. Even though he flat out lied under oath, the court didn't buy his story at all.

genec

Nice Summary... send it to Gieco! +1000


BTW CA is not a 3 foot law state... that law has been denied here. SF may be a 3 foot law city... I don't know.

harpon

As much as I DON'T LIKE the insurance corporations

and as much as I usually side with cyclists- I have been one for over 50 years-

The woman was at least partly very stupid- I get about five seconds of time measured by the video between when the car stops and she hits the predictably opening door- you GOTTA be more aware than that- I usually am trying to look into EVERY car parked to see if there is a possibilty of this happening- if that car had just pulled over in front of me, whether or not I have legal rights- I would still be looking out for it to happen.

The sad thing is in this SICK era- this could have even been done purposely- but I would not be a victim to it-
A few months back I was on my motorized bike and moving along at 20-25 when a car parked on the WRONG SIDE of the road, and hidden behind another one correctly parked, pulled out and came right at me. Just missed a head on.

Just yesterday, I was passing under the freeway just a few blocks from where I live, when this anus of an ethinic man in an untrailered Peterbuilt pulled off the exit lane to my right and started coming right at me- STARING AT ME the whole time- it got me pretty upset- and when I got home I then wondered "Well, why was this Peterbuilt even pulling of on that exit and turning into a basically residential zone? Then I remembered who it was- it was this a-hole who parked his cab in front of my old apartment building ALL THE TIME, even though he lived apparently at least halfway down the block, and then used to warm the stupid thing up for at least 20 minutes or a half hour at a time- an incredibly long time- AND in a bike lane I might add, where the stupid angry MILITARY natives break their bottles- before he'd pull away roaring.


And so CONCLUSION-

HE knew who I was! And drives his stupid Peterbuilt right at me staring me in the face the whole time.
Rochester. The man, not the town. And killer is as killer does. How many flares must a person send up ?

I once had an idiot open their car door right in front of me out of the blue right in front of the Kodak theatre in Hollywood right on the Boulevard, and it was sooo perfect it had to be on purpose by some pathetic fallen angel- and if I hadn't ridden Cat 1 ALL those years I'd have never missed it-

kite991

At some point before they arrived in the camera's view, wouldnt it be possible that the car passed by her, and in that case couldnt the driver also have taken into account when he/she pulled over to stop/park to look in the mirror real quick before opening the door? Whenever I park on the street near a bike lane i always check my side view mirror, not just to see any possible bikers, but to see any cars which could take my door off. Although I do know that a biker being doored is much worse for them than it is to me, but I take a lot of precautions to make sure that nothing damages my car hahahaha.