Teach drivers how to open their doors.

I saw on Breakfast Tv this morning that the Govt is backing a campaign to teach drivers how to open their car doors.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41219977

I don't know about teaching drivers, it's passengers who are the biggest problem.
I use to drive a Cab, and passengers opening doors were a pain-in-the-bum. The newer cabs with central locking were ok. it stopped them opening doors as you were driving along, but the older cabs, people would suddenly get out as you were driving along. But twice i lost doors, and ended up with big insurance claims even with a newer cab. Passengers would say ..... over there on the right, So you'd wait for a break in the traffic and pull over, but they'd open the other door and get out into the road, Twice that happend and there was a car passing, i lost my door and the car lost all his nearside. The passenger would just look at you and say, sorry. But he wasn't sorry enough to offer to pay, even wanted to claim for his/her injuries.

Re: Teach drivers how to open their doors.

I'd vote for that, I drive along a long length of road each evening going to work where people park all the way along it but there is still just about room to have two lines of traffic passing along it, but it is only just so your eyes are on not scraping along the parked cars or taking off the mirrors of the ones coming toward you. I breath a sigh of relief when I get to end of it, but just one person not thinking and opening a door into the traffic can cause a road block and traffic stops all through the town as people sort out the problem. I've seen several doors lost along there.

Re: Teach drivers how to open their doors.

The car we just bought has got sliding rear doors. That will help with the problem. I'll have to warn passengers to look behind before they get out though. They could wipe themselves out instead of the doors.

Re: Teach drivers how to open their doors.

Yes I'd rather loose a door than a passenger I think. Although ..........

Re: Teach drivers how to open their doors.

I've noticed these past 15 - 20 odd years that many people nowadays seem to have no spacial awareness. I wouldn't dream of stepping out of a car unless I had carefully checked that there was no other car approaching from the rear. Likewise I wouldn't dream of exiting a shop doorway unless it was clear to do so. On many occasions I've been hit and pushed over (I'm not very stable on my pins) by idiot shoppers walking out of the shop with their cell phone firmly clamped to their lugholes.

Worst ones of all are bloody cyclists who still persist on riding on the pavement!!! One of these days I'm going to ram my walking stick firmly through their front spokes or insert it into a particularly painful orifice!!!

Re: Teach drivers how to open their doors.

Round here they are told to use pavements Uj the police prefer them to do that. So don't attack them they may just be doing what they've been told to do.

Re: Teach drivers how to open their doors.

Not down this way Julie darlin' - the council has spent oodles of money building cycle tracks all over the city and they STILL use the pavements!!!

Re: Teach drivers how to open their doors.

Very good point to post Sam.
I am always very careful as the traffic in my County is manic at times.
I have seen accidents waiting to happen.
Raising awareness is ALWAYS a good thing.

Re: Teach drivers how to open their doors.

In June last year a colleague was riding his cycle home when a woman opened her stationary car door and knocked him clean off his bike.
He was airlifted to hospital with brain damage and put into a coma whilst they tried to sort him out.
Luckily he pulled through but I'll never forget the phone call confirming it was our colleague that had been injured and how serious it was.
He is back at work now. He is an invaluable, intelligent, and very well liked member of our team. He has lost his sense of smell but not his sense of humour.
The accident has been proved to have been no fault of his own.
We could have lost him
Enough said.