On 5/10/2018 6:15 PM, John B. wrote:

I suspect that you, like I, are what might be called a sensible rider.
RE, door zones, just slow down a bit so you have time to dodge the
door if necessary.

Um... no, that's not sensible.

Consider what happens if you're riding just 15 kph and a driver pops his
door open as you pass his rear bumper. There's no way to stop in time.

If you're lucky, you'll hit his door squarely and crumple beneath it. If
you're unlucky, you'll snag the door edge with your right handlebar, the
bike will steer to the right, your body will be thrown down to the left,
and the motor vehicle you were worried about will run over you.

Unlike mountain lion attacks, dooring really is a danger. Most states
don't record it as a car-bike collision, because they record those only
if the car was moving. But Chicago did keep track, and found that
something like 20% of car-bike crashes were doorings.

Don't ride in the door zone. Just don't.


--
- Frank Krygowski