The WWCA’s position on “dooring” is that cyclists must have safe passage. This means that there must be room for the cyclist to be able to ride without the risk of hitting the door of a car. Fining drivers might help but it is not the answer. The WWCA believes that helmets are important but usually when the accident is between a car and cyclist, the helmet will not help greatly. There must be more bike paths in the city along with buffer zones to prevent the terrible accident that happened here in Montreal. Until these paths are built, both cyclists and drivers must be aware of each other and be cautious when driving.
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I think that cyclists and drivers must be aware of each other with or without separate bike lanes! There is never going to be a time when you can get where you are going as a cyclist without sharing the road with cars at certain points. Both cyclists and drivers need to recognise the bike as a slow moving vehicle and act with care.
Helmets help enormously and in fact, save lives. A broken collarbone or rib hurts, a broken skull is life-changing. Use your brains – wear a helmet!
Elizabeth
Excellen comments! Thank you.
Helmets help *if* an accident occurs, but they do nothing to reduce the chance of an accident happening in the first place*. That’s why the City must stop painting bike lanes within the ‘door zone’. Here’s a great illustration:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Door_zone
* In fact, there is some evidence that bike helmets give motorists, perhaps subconsciously, the impression that the cyclist is well protected and invulnerable, and as a result they drive even closer to the cyclist!