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If you didn't see it, the Post had an article last week by David Hayes, a cyclist who recently won a "Door Prize". This isn't a good thing, unfortunately, as a Door Prize is when someone opens a car door directly in front of a cyclist... it almost always spells trouble:
The emergency room physician and a doctor at a fracture clinic informed me that I have a hairline fracture on the left elbow and bone bruising on the right. There is also what doctors refer to as "soft tissue trauma" (ligament, tendon, muscle) on both forearms, and both wrists are sprained (the right one more severely). I've been seeing a physiotherapist since the end of July.The article talks a lot about all the damage a car door can do, and it's good to read - far too many cyclists in Toronto ride too close to parked cars.
Personally, I find parked cars way more dangerous than moving ones. The moving ones can see you and act accordingly... people getting out of parked cars often have no idea you are coming up from behind.
Use your bell a lot, ride carefully, and watch for people in the cars.
Even better, if someone waits for you to pass before swinging open their door, be sure and say "thanks!" or give them a little wave... make them feel good for thinking of you and they'll be more likely to do it in the future. :)
[photo credit - National Post]
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