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Near Miss of the Day 149: Cyclist almost doored by car passenger at roundabout

Our regular feature highlighting close passes caught on camera from around the country – today it’s Bournemouth

A cyclist who was almost knocked off his bike when a car passenger opened a door into his path was prompted to send the video in to us for our Near Miss of the Day feature after reading our coverage of the Sam Says campaign earlier this week, launched to try and prevent such incidents from happening.

The campaign, under which stickers warning taxi passengers to check for cyclists before opening the door, was launched by the family of Leicester cyclist Sam Boulton who died two years ago after a woman riding a cab opened the door as he approached, causing him to fall off his bike into the path of a van, sustaining fatal injuries.

> Family of cyclist killed when taxi passenger opened door launch safety campaign

The initiative, which also calls on the government to introduce the Dutch Reach technique into the driving test and the Highway Code, is supported by Cycling UK.

The charity has urged for tougher penalties to be introduced for the offence of opening or permitting a car door to be opened so as to cause injury or endanger someone, which is currently punishable by a maximum fine of £1,000.

In Bournemouth this week, road.cc reader David was forced to swerve sharply towards the car as a passenger opened the door in his path as he rode along a mandatory cycle lane.

It happened at the entrance to a roundabout with roadworks meaning that the exit to the left was blocked.

The driver had the hazard lights engaged, but it does seem to bear the hallmark of the kind of situation where a passenger makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to get out of the car, failing to check behind.

David acknowledges that the quality of the footage isn’t the best – partly due to the state of the town’s roads, plus the camera not being attached very well – though the danger the passenger put him in is all too clear to see.

“The passenger just kind of raised his hand slightly ... not a word ... the driver carried on driving.”

He continued: “I didn't want to make too much fuss as I'm safe and nothing happened but then later that day I saw your article about Sam Boulton's family launching a campaign regarding safety when opening passenger's doors.”

> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?

Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.

If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.

If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).

Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.

> What to do if you capture a near miss or close pass (or worse) on camera while cycling

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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15 comments

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Escarola | 6 years ago
0 likes

If the appalling conditions of the roads in Bournemouth don't kill you... a car passenger will or the next driver turning without indicating... or the pedestrian not looking when crossing or... (complete)

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LastBoyScout | 6 years ago
0 likes

Have had a couple of close calls on my Suzuki, despite barely legal can - not to mention headlights and hi-viz!

A mate of mine that works shifts used to turn the ignition off on his Ducati and coast the last couple of hundred metres home at night, so as not to wake the kids  4

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danhopgood | 6 years ago
2 likes

It is technically easy to  put the driver in control of the passenger doors of a vehicle, using the central locking system.  Most cars have this already - my 11 year old Skoda has a "lock all the doors" function.  Then the driver - who's legally in charge of the vehicle - can control when it's safe for passengers to get out.   Adequaty penalties for "dooring" offences might change behaviour of taxi drivers?

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LastBoyScout | 6 years ago
1 like

Years ago, I knew someone that had a taxi open it's door (can't remember if driver or passenger) when he was cycling past.

The corner of the door made quite a mess of his shoulder, not to mention the road rash when he hit the floor and further injuries when his mate behind then ran him over!

There's a painted cycle lane near me that runs past a line of parked cars and is nicely the width of a car door. I won't use it - and sod any car drivers that don't like it. It was supposed to have been removed a couple of years ago.

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OldRidgeback replied to LastBoyScout | 6 years ago
1 like

LastBoyScout wrote:

Years ago, I knew someone that had a taxi open it's door (can't remember if driver or passenger) when he was cycling past.

The corner of the door made quite a mess of his shoulder, not to mention the road rash when he hit the floor and further injuries when his mate behind then ran him over!

There's a painted cycle lane near me that runs past a line of parked cars and is nicely the width of a car door. I won't use it - and sod any car drivers that don't like it. It was supposed to have been removed a couple of years ago.

I actually had a passenger open a taxi door on me when I was filtering through stopped traffic on my old Ducati some years back. The fact that the bike had exceedingly loud exhausts didn't seem to give her sufficient warning. Perhaps she was hearing impaired? Anyway, I stopped in time and the ashen expression on her face when she realised her luck in my being rather more aware made me think she'd learned a valuable lesson.

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brooksby | 6 years ago
1 like

I got driven into on Thursday evening.  No injuries.  Police not involved.

Waiting in the ASL here - https://goo.gl/maps/DTQ7SCgLD3K2 - to turn right.  There were a couple of vehicles in the right lane (red light) with a people-carrier type taxi at the front.  The traffic on the left was moving so I went to the front, swooped in front of the taxi and waited by the foremost white line of the ASL.

Suddenly, there's a crunchy sound and a bump, and I look over my shoulder at where the taxi has run into my back wheel.  It's still a red light.  He called out that he hadn't seen me.  I called  back that it was a red light so why was he moving at all??  Still a red light.  A bit of shouting, and then the light finally goes green, I shake it off and head off down Baldwin Street on the shiny new cycle path.

Bike seems fine: it was so low speed that all he'd done was touched me, squashed my rear mudguard a bit.

But: he clearly thought he knew the timing of the traffic lights, so had started rolling into the ASL (a violation) without even looking right in f-ing front of him (carelessness?).  And this guy would claim to be a professional driver??

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BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
2 likes

the only poor pass I had today was by two police motorcyclist bombing past at high speed without giving me enough space, empty lane on the other side, nope, we'll just overtake you at 60mph within the same lane and less than the required distance for me to feel safe oh and no indicating to the vehicles behind who all overtook rather better...arseholes! Putting in a complaint tomorrow.

When plod can't be fucking arsed to do it right and set a good example how can we expect joe public, except today on world bike day they were the stand out knobbers!

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ChrisB200SX | 6 years ago
5 likes

Just up the road from my brother's flat... Also, right outside a massive Police station.

That roundabout is hideous, there are a load of cycle lanes going into it and a cycle lane that goes all around the roundabout, I've never ridden there but I can't see how it makes things anything other than much worse for cyclists.

Still, a complete cretin opening the door like that.

I'm sure the video will soon appear on Daily Fail online with the caption "Cyclists nearly crashes into car, but who do YOU think is to blame?!".

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Escarola replied to ChrisB200SX | 6 years ago
1 like

ChrisB200SX wrote:

Just up the road from my brother's flat... Also, right outside a massive Police station.

That roundabout is hideous, there are a load of cycle lanes going into it and a cycle lane that goes all around the roundabout, I've never ridden there but I can't see how it makes things anything other than much worse for cyclists.

Still, a complete cretin opening the door like that.

I'm sure the video will soon appear on Daily Fail online with the caption "Cyclists nearly crashes into car, but who do YOU think is to blame?!".

Yes, that's the one. I usually avoid using the cycle lane inside the roundabout and take the lane instead. It sometimes gets a bit busy of people going to the seafront and cars don't seem to see you very well or don't let you go through but that's the usual...

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StraelGuy | 6 years ago
1 like

Happened to me a few years ago when I was still on my old MTB before I got into road bikes. Bombing along a quiet road about to pass a car and the girl in the drivers seat flung the door open right in front of me. I managed to swoop around the door luckily and the girl was so startled I'd be surprised if she didn't wet herself or worse. Still, she might think of checking the mirror next time, eh yes ?

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giff77 replied to StraelGuy | 6 years ago
3 likes

StraelGuy wrote:

. Still, she might think of checking the mirror next time, eh yes ?

i would hope she learns to shoulder check. She can still door someone by checking only the mirror due to the blind spot

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OldRidgeback replied to StraelGuy | 6 years ago
1 like

StraelGuy wrote:

Happened to me a few years ago when I was still on my old MTB before I got into road bikes. Bombing along a quiet road about to pass a car and the girl in the drivers seat flung the door open right in front of me. I managed to swoop around the door luckily and the girl was so startled I'd be surprised if she didn't wet herself or worse. Still, she might think of checking the mirror next time, eh yes ?

 

I was doored some years back on Brixton Road, just near the police station. The traffic was backed up and I was filtering slowly  when the driver of a Fiesta suddenly decided to open her door and get out. I braked hard but made the mistake of trying to go round the door. My hand hit the edge of her door and it hurt like hell, though luckily there was nothing broken. She received a stream of Anglo Saxon words from me, again perhaps not the best option on my part as it simply reinforced her false assumption that she was in the right.

As I was going slowly and also braking hard, I'd have been much better aiming for her car door. It would have cushioned my deceleration, and note that I was able to stop very abruptly so I think my risk of being flung over onto the other vehicle next to us would've been slim. I'd have bent the door all the way back of course, but that would've been her fault and any damage to her vehicle would've been on her insurance. With the police station literally over the road, i don't think it would have taken long for police to be on scene either.

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hawkinspeter | 6 years ago
3 likes

Dooring is the worst kind of cycling hazard as it can be devastating with very little warning (for the cyclist) and it's so easy to prevent.

As well as including the Dutch Reach in the Highway Code and tests, we could do with some public education as well. Including prominent stickers in taxis is an extremely good idea - very low cost to implement and will almost certainly prevent some incidents.

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earth | 6 years ago
2 likes

Got knocked off today.  While following behind some cars there was a jam in front.  The van I was behind suddenly stopped and started reversing to make room for an on comming car.  I could see the driver in the wing mirror but they did not look before reversing.  Went straight back into me.  I was stationary and they were doing 1 - 3 mph but that was all it took to push me to the ground just behind the right side rear wheel.  I thought I was going to be slowly run over.  Shouted out all sorts of s**t and the dozy bint claimed not to have seen me.   

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burtthebike | 6 years ago
7 likes

JHC, when will it ever stop?  Bearing in mind that the vids featured here are a tiny proportion of what happens to cyclists every day, we need some radical action, not another bloody consultation which achieves nothing beyond cyclists registering their concerns.

Mind you, when ministers of transport knock of cyclists and nothing happens, perhaps we shouldn't expect too much.  Certainly not justice.

Please keep up the campaign Cycling UK, something has to change, and we need advocates to make a lot of noise.

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