# Opening the car door with the right hand makes drivers more aware of passing bicyclists **URL:** \ **Category:** Safety\ **Created:** [June 6, 2017, 4:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690 "2017-06-06T04:35:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/21 "2017-06-06T19:41:42Z")
With the coming requirement for electric cars to make some noise to warn pedestrians, why not the same requirement for cyclists?: > **[Electric cars are now required to make noise at low speeds so they don’t sneak...](https://www.theverge.com/2016/11/16/13651106/electric-car-noise-nhtsa-rule-blind-pedestrian-safety)** > > Electric and hybrid-fuel cars will be required to produce noise when traveling at low speeds under a new rule issued by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is to prevent... ---
**Author:** ![sgtrock21](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/sgtrock21/32/246_2.png) [@sgtrock21](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sgtrock21)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/22 "2017-06-06T21:13:33Z")
LOL! LOL! LOL! (10 character minimum). ---
**Author:** ![BillRussell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/billrussell/32/3179_2.png) [@BillRussell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BillRussell)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/23 "2017-06-06T22:14:28Z")
> [@bing](#): > > should be a law against pens huh? writing? confinement? ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/24 "2017-06-06T22:20:34Z")
No, signing laws should be against the law. Take their pens. ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/25 "2017-06-06T22:43:44Z")
> [@galant](#): > > Can’t we just teach people to look back? That’s a lot to hope for. One purpose of the recommendation is to make motorists pay attention. > [@jtsanders](#): > > A bicyclist is about to pass a car with a person standing at the car door. Don’t they have as much responsibility to look for the door as I do when driving my car? I always look, but one can’t always see: at night, when the sun is reflecting off the back of the car, tinted windows. Motorists sometimes sit in their cars, consulting maps, talking on their phones… > [@Mustangman](#): > > When I ride I watch for people in parked cars and assume every one of them is ready to open their doors in my path If there’s a car to your left, do you stop and wait? I leave room for an opening door, but usually not enough for an opening door and a car on my left. > [@insightful](#): > > With the coming requirement for electric cars to make some noise to warn pedestrians, why not the same requirement for cyclists?: That’s principally for the benefit of the blind, who are inured to hearing cars. I think cyclists are required to alert pedestrians they pass. Unfortunately many pedestrians scare instead of merely staying to the right. A bicyclist upon whom I was closing reacted to my alert of her that she ran off the path, fell, a few weeks ago. I get a better result if I slow down and wait for them to figure out I’m there. > [@bing](#): > > signing laws should be against the law. The original post wasn’t about a law, but a recommendation in the state’s drivers’ manual. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/26 "2017-06-06T22:58:06Z")
This is Car Talk after all not Bike Talk. Bikes on car roads need to be watchful for cars. I’ve never understood though why bikes are treated as vehicles and are to be on the right side of the road going with traffic. Wouldn’t it be safer if they were treated as pedestrians and rode on the left side so they could see approaching traffic and hazards and people looking out their windshields ready to open their doors could see the bikes? I suspect it has something to do with the DOT folks with blinders on that have to consider anything with wheels to be a vehicle. And anything with a motor attached to be a motor vehicle, regardless. Same reason these block heads consider a BB gun a firearm because a projectile comes out of it just like a spit ball in a straw. So let’s classify them as pedestrians so we don’t need to reach across ourselves to open the door. Rant over. Gotta go cut the grass and calm down. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 11:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/27 "2017-06-06T23:14:13Z")
There is a busy 4 lane road with the right lane marked with bicyclists symbols, drivers should allow bicyclists to use the full lane the sign says, I keep imagining the symbols are the chalk outlines of bicyclists that didn’t make it. ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/6/65561ffa2b17923819e086ccee66b5b638acbc6c.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 11:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/28 "2017-06-06T23:48:54Z")
Sorry, @bing, no rest for the weary: [http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/03/daniel-zimmerman/yes-bb-guns-can-kill-too/](http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/03/daniel-zimmerman/yes-bb-guns-can-kill-too/) BB guns can kill, as shown in the referenced pro-firearm web site. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/29 "2017-06-06T23:53:17Z")
> [@RandomTroll](#): > > If there’s a car to your left, do you stop and wait? In a sense, yes, I slow down until I can go wide IF I can’t see a person through the back window ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 12:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/30 "2017-06-07T00:02:39Z")
Really have to be careful around here of the motorized bikes, was going to do a right turn on red, and I check my side view mirrors for cyclists,all clear, well this guy was so fast in running the red light, lucky for me and him I saw him at the last second, WHOA motorized bike on the right running the light because there were no cars at the time. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/31 "2017-06-07T03:03:59Z")
Agree they can kill but just because they can doesn’t mean they are a firearm. Sling shots, knives, rocks, etc. can kill but they aren’t firearms. Dangerous of course but not firearms. In fact the Minnesota Supreme Court agreed with me and said they aren’t firearms anymore as the Police had previously held. Really a ridiculous position overturned. Now back to bikes being a vehicle? Huh? Even though they can go 30 mph. How about skateboards or those push scooters? Are they vehicles too? Should be going against traffic like pedestrians. ---
**Author:** ![BillRussell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/billrussell/32/3179_2.png) [@BillRussell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BillRussell)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 11:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/32 "2017-06-07T11:37:47Z")
> [@bing](#): > > Should be going against traffic like pedestrians Totally disagree. It might work for very low bike traffic but falls apart quickly as traffic increases. Go visit Amsterdam and imagine all those bikes going against traffic. How do they make left turns? How do they see the traffic lights and signs? And pedestrians are in much higher risk as they are not used to looking right when stepping off a curb. And why do you think pedestrians should walk down the street in the lane of opposing traffic? why not on the sidewalk? ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 12:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/33 "2017-06-07T12:47:09Z")
> [@bing](#): > > Agree they can kill but just because they can doesn’t mean they are a firearm. Sling shots, knives, rocks, etc. can kill but they aren’t firearms. Dangerous of course but not firearms. In fact the Minnesota Supreme Court agreed with me and said they aren’t firearms anymore as the Police had previously held. Really a ridiculous position overturned. **I totally agree!** > [@bing](#): > > Should be going against traffic like pedestrians. **I agree!** I ride outside the fog line on the highway near my house. I always ride against traffic, although I have a rearview mirror and strobe lights front and rear. Being a resort area we get lots of walkers and joggers, too. They go against traffic. It causes problems when a bike is on one side going one way on one side and walkers/runners are on the other side. Two cars approach from opposite directions and squeeze between pedestrians! It works much better and is safer when everybody’s on one side. Trust me. I know! It’s actually illegal to go against traffic on bikes and I had a sheriff vehicle pass me the other day. I thought I’d get a lecture, but the deputy must have thought I was riding safely. _ **CSA** _ ---
**Author:** ![GorehamJ](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/gorehamj/32/24103_2.png) [@GorehamJ](https://community.cartalk.com/u/GorehamJ)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/34 "2017-06-07T15:18:23Z")
Interesting facts: about a quarter of all bike-related deaths occur in the dark. Almost all bike deaths in the US are men above the age of 20. About 3% occur on highways. [More here if interested.](http://bestride.com/news/safety-and-recalls/bicycle-vehicle-accident-deaths-show-unexpected-trend) ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 3:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/35 "2017-06-07T15:36:59Z")
> [@bing](#): > > Bikes on car roads need to be watchful for cars. I’ve never understood though why bikes are treated as vehicles and are to be on the right side of the road going with traffic. That’s been proven to be much safer then riding against traffic. [http://blogs.findlaw.com/law\_and\_life/2013/08/illegal-to-ride-a-bike-against-traffic.html](http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2013/08/illegal-to-ride-a-bike-against-traffic.html) ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/36 "2017-06-07T23:33:31Z")
I have seen too many cyclists after dark with no lights, wearing dark clothing, that statistic does not surprise me, except I would have thought it higher than 25% ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 5:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/37 "2017-06-08T05:01:28Z")
I posted this story on a bicycle site. Predictably it drew a lot of trash talk about motorists. I obey the law and keep my eye out for others, don’t challenge motorists, but see a lot of bicyclists who are outlaws. But all the deaths and serious injuries that make the paper are motorists’ fault, and I’ve been driven into a few times by turners who didn’t see me; they had to catch up with me to do it: I’m tough to hit head-on. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 5:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/38 "2017-06-08T05:16:36Z")
I understand that’s what the law enforcement folks have always said that riding a bike with the flow of traffic is safer. I do believe that it is possible for law enforcement to have blinders on due to their need to classify bikes as vehicles. But I just can’t seem to understand how it is safer for me to ride a bike with the traffic coming up behind me where I can’t see what they are doing than riding against the traffic where I can see everything? What am I missing? Why would it be safer for pedestrians to walk against traffic but bikes to go with the traffic? Oh sure, crossing streets etc. but you’re going to have to cross streets either way and stop lights can be seen in either lane. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 5:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/39 "2017-06-08T05:51:59Z")
Bicycles riding against traffic? When exiting a parking lot in a car, a bicycle approaching from the right at 20 MPH can come as a surprise to the motorist when the focus is on the left and there are no pedestrians one the side walk. ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690/40 "2017-06-08T15:30:43Z")
> [@bing](#): > > But I just can’t seem to understand how it is safer for me to ride a bike with the traffic coming up behind me where I can’t see what they are doing than riding against the traffic where I can see everything? What am I missing? Why would it be safer for pedestrians to walk against traffic but bikes to go with the traffic? You’re not missing anything. I just got back from my 7 mile morning cardio bicycle sprint. I rode against traffic outside of a highway fog line, as usual. Sometimes certain conditions cause me to temporarily ride with traffic. I’ve done this hundreds of times and I can say that the only close calls I’ve had were caused by, wait for it!.. Distracted drivers. As I’ve already stated, I’ve got strobe lights front and rear and a rearview mirror. I use the mirror very frequently, but it is very difficult to monitor a vehicle approaching from behind on my side of the road, by looking at my mirror, and still see ahead of me and maintain my balance and control. Only once did I come a second away from bailing out and running off the road while observing what appeared to be a distracted driver. They tend to wander back and forth or in this case, the car began drifting steadily toward my path. When the clown passed it appeared he was text messaging. It is much easier to keep my eyes focused on approaching cars and watching for any signs of a distracted driver while I’m looking mainly straight ahead where I can balance and see where I’m going. It’s difficult to identify possibly poor or distracted drivers looking in a mirror and using a rearview mirror excessively causes me to become a, wait for it!.. A distracted driver. By the way, this morning I wore my shorts and a shocking pink Under Armor shirt so that I would be more visible. _ **CSA** _ [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690.md?page=1) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/opening-the-car-door-with-the-right-hand-makes-drivers-more-aware-of-passing-bicyclists/104690.md?page=3)