As someone who enjoys riding your bike, you may already be familiar with the term, "dooring." Dooring is when a driver opens his or her door into your lane of travel without looking. Since you have no time to stop, you'll hit the door and be thrown from your bicycle.
Dooring accidents take place too often to overlook them. Here are a few quick facts to keep in mind.
1. Dooring accidents are on the rise
In some cases, dooring accidents result in serious or even fatal injuries. The sad thing is that a 2017 article showed an overall increase in dooring accidents in Illinois. In fact, the number of bicyclists injured because of dooring accidents in 2015 increased by around 50 percent over the previous year.
2. Dooring accidents can result in fines for drivers
Yes, drivers need to know better than to open their doors without looking into the area next to them. In 2013, the fine for dooring a bicyclist in Chicago was raised from $500 to $1,000. This was done in an effort to reduce the number of crashes taking place. However, they continued to rise.
3. Dooring takes place less with bicycle lanes
If you noticed an increase in bicycle lanes and buffer lanes, you're not alone. In 2011, over 100 new miles of bicycle lanes were created in Chicago. These included protected lanes, which are between parked vehicles and sidewalks, as well as buffered lanes, which are painted onto the roadway as a separate bicycle-only lane. The goal of the city is to eliminate serious injuries and deaths from traffic accidents, dooring accidents and bicycle crashes by 2026, so this was a major step toward that goal.
These are just a few things to know about dooring accidents in Chicago. If you've crashed as a result of a driver opening a door into the lane, you could be eligible for compensation. Speak with an experienced bicycle accident attorney to learn about your legal options.
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