I saw a stupid biker get pwned today

[RayvenQ]

To be honest, pulling a stunt like that isn't funny in the least.

So he lost control of his bike, ha, ha, other than the possibility of having a limb crushed, ending in oncoming lanes or crahsing into another vehicle.

There's so many things that could go wrong when someone opens a door when a bike is coming up beside you, that you shouldn't even think about it. Bikers (stupid and non stupid alike) already have a dangerous enough time without people doing what pretty much amounts to pulling up in front of you and slamming on the brakes.

(give them enough time to stop, I don't want to kill anyone).

Except that time to stop, is entirely subjective depending on the bike itself, the quality of the brakes, how much the rider usually brakes etc etc. So unless you did it the very instant the biker was visible and far enough away to be able to see it, slow down and bring his bike to a stop, you're pretty much doing something that can kill.

You call the bike driver stupid, in this case so was the car driver.

Im a biker, a sensible one and I like seeing stupid riders (and drivers for that matter) get pwned, I don't find pwnage that could have caused the death of one or more persons, something to laugh at or to wish to do.

[BlaqueKatt]

And I hope there was a bee in the car, because opening his door made it damn lucky no one was hurt.

and here the guy opening the door would get the ticket-"dooring bill" in WI

The bill adds a section of the national Uniform Vehicle Code to Wisconsin law, requiring drivers to ensure that opening a door will not interfere with the movement of traffic or endanger a person or vehicle. This provision is already the law in most other states.

[Shalom]

I saw this happen once, years back when I worked in Manhattan. What made it even more moronic than usual in this case was that the cyclist was squeezing between a parked car and a double parked car, not one stopped in traffic. I'm sure the guy in the (legally) parked car wasn't expecting a motorcycle to come zipping by on his left when he opened his door...

[protege]

Then the person attempting to make a right turn is going to be cited for not looking first. It's up to the person merging/changing lanes/turning to ensure that their path is clear prior to doing so.

In PA though, bike riders (and motorcyclists) are supposed to be held to the same rules as cars. One being, that you're not allowed to pass on the right, unless there's a lane to do so. Problem is, that many streets do not have separate bike lanes. Meaning, if I'm driving, I'm already in the right lane!

[Arcade Man D]

Many laws (I think all do, in fact) will allow motorcycles (and similar) to ride 2 wide next to each other on roads and highways. This I do not have an issue with this if they are being responsible.

This is actually *safer* than riding by yourself in a lane, especially at night. At night, two motorcycles riding 2-wide create a pair of tail lights and headlights that look like, well, a car's, and are thus easier to spot. 2-wide motorcycles should be legal in all states for that reason.

[wheeitsme]

It's legal in California to share lanes. It's not legal in a lot of other states but I know motorcycles still do it. I ride a motorcycle. I don't split lanes while riding or when traffic is stopped even though I legally could. I don't think my skills are good enough yet and it makes me nervous that someone would do exactly what happened in this story.

By "split lanes" I believe he means ride between lanes. This is legal in California. I looked it up a couple years ago, because I thought it was illegal. I was wrong.

I also try to keep an eye out for motorcycles. Sometimes they drive just as stupid as everyone else, only they get injured/dead quicker in an accident. And SoCal is dangerous period when it comes to stupid drivers...

[greek_jester]

At the same time, ever time I'm in a line of stopped cars and I see someone coming up behind me I pray that he sees me. There have been many accidents where cars didn't see the motorcycle stopped in front of them and hit them, never even touching the brakes.

An ex-biker friend of my mum's said that when he was waiting in traffic, if he saw a vehicle coming up behind him that hadn't been following him down the road he'd tap his brakes a few times, as brake lights are much brighter than rear lights & more likely to be seen by the person coming up behind him.

Don't know if it'd work as well over the Pond (I'm a Brit & it's gloomier over here) but it might be worth a try.

[Andara Bledin]

Don't know if it'd work as well over the Pond (I'm a Brit & it's gloomier over here) but it might be worth a try.

I'm in sou Cali, and there are some times where you can barely tell the difference between fully lit and not lit at all.

^-.-^

[draggar]

Big time deja vous today.

Same intersection and I'm about 5 cars back. A motorcyclist decides they're going to pull the same stunt as in the initial post - going inbetween all the cars. After he passed me the light turned green so he contined between all the cars, and then attempting to go down the road.

Unfortunately for him, one of the cars in the front was a police car. Blues go on and follow after the bikker pulling him over.

[Dips]

To clear up the confusion. Opening a door into traffic without checking behind you first, not matter what the reason, constitutes "entering" traffic without looking.

If somebody hits your door, you will be pretty much automatically be found at fault unless you have witnesses who can testify that the driver/cyclist/pedestrian who hit your door was acting recklessly. An example would be deliberately swerving into your door well after you've opened it.

The situation in the OP could well be a situation where the motorcyclist was considered to be acting recklessly. That would depend on local laws regarding whether it is legal for motorcyclists to drive between lanes of stopped cars when there's room.

But, since nobody stopped as a witness to let the police know what the motorcycle driver was doing before the collision, the car driver is 95% likely to be found at fault for that one.

[Flying Grype]

Aah yes, the door prize. I can see how either of them would be at fault -- the biker for travelling faster than he could react in a space that doesn't give him enough room to react, and the driver for not looking before opening the door.

In Ontario it's legal for cyclists to either ride in the centre of the lane (which annoys drivers coming up behind) or on the right-hand side of the right lane. The latter means you're riding between a row of moving cars and a row of parked cars, and it does increase your chances of winning a door prize. I scan ahead to make sure there's nobody in the driver's seat of cars parked to the right of where I'm riding, and if there is someone I slow down (and maybe ring the bell a bit just to let them know I'm there).

I can't imagine a motorcycle doing that, though. Unless your lanes are a lot wider than ours. Sometimes I have about ten inches of clearance on either side of my handlebars (between the wing mirrors of the cars in the lane and the parked cars on the side). I see little Vespa-type bikes in the bike lane or riding between lanes of cars, but never a motorcycle -- those are always smack in the center of the lane just like cars.

[Magpie]

I can't imagine a motorcycle doing that, though. Unless your lanes are a lot wider than ours. Sometimes I have about ten inches of clearance on either side of my handlebars (between the wing mirrors of the cars in the lane and the parked cars on the side). I see little Vespa-type bikes in the bike lane or riding between lanes of cars, but never a motorcycle -- those are always smack in the center of the lane just like cars.

The Star had an article several years back about people who do that. I believe the author was commenting on the fact that it would be nice if riding the line was legal here. Remember, they're using space from two lanes if they try it.