WHAT IT IS
The act of opening a car door into another driver’s path is known as “dooring.” Dooring occurs when a driver stops or parks to get out of their car, or when people get out of autos at bus stop bus, taxis, and ridesharing vehicles and enter the path of a bike in a nearby travel lane. The car model one is passing determines the breadth of the door zone where this can occur. For a car with sliding or gull-wing doors, the zone can be nearly zero, while for a truck, it can be significantly bigger. Doorings are one of the most frequent and dangerous bike-vehicle collisions in numerous cities throughout the world. A carelessly opened or left open door could also be struck by a passing car, causing damage or injury.
PREVENTION
If the driver does a shoulder check or looks in their side mirror before opening the door, doorings can be avoided. It has been suggested that the Dutch Reach, which combines both strategies, be used for vehicle escape in order to avoid doorings. Bicyclists are recommended to avoid the door zone of stopped or parked automobiles since they cannot rely on motor vehicle occupants to exercise the necessary prudence when exiting.
Dooring prevention has proven to be a challenging issue because accidents can happen anywhere hinged automobile doors are opened carelessly and unexpectedly block footpaths or traffic lanes. According to egress driving behavior surveys conducted in the US state of Florida and the UK, 35% and 60% of drivers, respectively, failed to check for oncoming traffic before opening.
ROAD USERS
When in traffic, cyclists are cautioned to stay out of door zones and to be extremely cautious if they are within sight of open doors on either side. Before and during getting into or out of their car, drivers and passengers are encouraged to be extra cautious and vigilant. It is recommended that passengers only disembark curbside and never when a car is stopped in a travel lane.
It is recommended that street planners use shared lane markings or buffered, separated, and/or protected bike lanes and tracks instead of putting bike lanes in door zones. Departments of transportation and motor vehicle bureaus are warned against using traffic codes to coerce vulnerable road users into bike lanes in the door zone.
ADVANCEMENT
New technologies are being used by automakers and engineers to alert or stop passengers from getting out of their cars when there is incoming traffic such as nears a bus stop bus. In order to help rear-seated passengers get ready to go, auxiliary side vision mirrors that mount on the B-pillar are now available.
While insurance companies and personal injury lawyers impose punishments after the fact in the form of higher premiums and liability lawsuits, road safety activists also demand enhanced enforcement, fines, and penalties.
It is advised that all road users receive better training in road sharing by drivers with vulnerable road users. This can be achieved by improved curriculum and testing, driver license and education standards, public education campaigns, and behavior change initiatives to promote safer driving practices.