Cyclist vs. car door crashes will be counted in Illinois

Posted by Tom Held of the Journal Sentinel on April 25, 2011

The get doored be counted campaign launched by Chicago bicyclists scored a victory in Illinois on Monday.

Gov. Pat Quinn announced that the Illinois Department of Transportation would count "dooring" crashes in a separate statistical category to help guide roadway design and safety campaigns. In the past, crashes that occurred when a motorist opened a vehicle door into the path of a bicyclist were not counted in the DOT statistics.

Similarly, in Wisconsin, those crashes are not recorded or kept in a separate statistical category. Dooring a bicyclist in Wisconsin is a traffic violation with a $40 fine.

Quinn announced the policy change in Illinois on Monday.

"As more people are riding bicycles and embracing other green modes of transportation, we need to ensure that Illinois collects data that presents a complete picture of what is happening on our roads," he said. "This new initiative will address a major safety issue for bicyclist and drivers, and will make our roads safer for everyone."

22 Comments for "Cyclist vs. car door crashes will be counted in Illinois "

Do they keep track of dooring crashes with other vehicles as well? As a
driver, I see open car doors all the time, sometimes narrowly missing
them. These people are oblivious to traffic and are a danger to
themselves and others.
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exchilango Apr 25, 2011 12:16 PM
what about a new front tire on the bike too? Add that to the fine!
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BVModerate Apr 25, 2011 1:14 PM
If it wasn't for these maniac automobilers, we bicyclists wouldn't get squeezed into the curb lanes and so perilously close to the driver-side doors of parked cars. We bicyclists need to claim the driving lanes in these situations. They can wait for us to pass the parked cars.

Way to go Illinois! Open for business, for those who are forward thinking in multiple modes of transportation (I am a car driver also).
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KrazyCat Apr 25, 2011 6:55 PM
Will they also track accidents caused by bicyclists riding down sidewalks,
crossing against traffic signals, riding along the wrong side of the road,
and not using helmets?
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KPOM1 Apr 25, 2011 8:28 PM
it always confounds me how there are always nutso anti-bicycle morons
posting on here about how bikers get in "their way" while they are
driving. news flash, idiots: it's not YOUR road, it's
everyone's and bicyclists like us share it with you just as you should
share it with us. if there is no bike lane, we still get to ride on the
street and if you are parked and getting out of your car, you had better
put down your supersized slurpy and turn your obese neck to look and
see EVERY time you exit to make sure there's not a bicyclist coming. if i
hit your door while you're opening it, you're going to have a heck of a
lot more than $40 to pay the state in fines. you're going to have a
lawsuit on your hands that will make you weep.

on a less defensive note, bicycle lanes are OK but even better are
cycletracks. they are common in Europe and elsewhere-- indeed, it's
how bicycle lanes SHOULD be and COULD be, if we didn't have such
spiteful and backwards thinking leaders like Scott Walker (who is a bike
hater as well) to deal with. Cycle tracks are essentially bicycle lanes
that exist inside their own curb way between the parked cars and the
sidewalk. this way, there is plenty of space and much less danger to
bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians alike.
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Maximilian77 Apr 26, 2011 1:00 AM
KPOM1: bicyclists wouldn't have to ride down sidewalks if motorists
gave them the distance and respect to allow them to ride safely on the
street-- also, almost no accidents are CAUSED by bicyclists.. we have
the RIGHT OF WAY, after all. and how in the hell would not wearing a
helmet CAUSE an accident, praytell?? that's like saying you not wearing
a seatbelt is the CAUSE of an accident. ridiculous.
you might want to complain about bicyclists who don't stop completely
at every crossing point but how does that make you any less guilty for
consistently breaking the speed limit when you drive your car? if you
claim you don't break the speed limit, you're a bald faced liar.
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Maximilian77 Apr 26, 2011 1:10 AM
I'm not sure how it's determined we automatically have the right of way.
During bicycling weather (usually 50 and above) I can be found riding all over the southside. I'm the one that actually stops for red lights and stop signs. I'm the one that won't ride on the sidewalk (despite what motorists suggest). I'm also the one that will make a left turn from the left lane, and last, but not least, I am the one likely to be driving my bicycle far enough away from the parked cars that I won't get doored.

We share the road with motorists and pedestrians. The problem we have is that many motorists seem to believe the road belongs to them. It is about time for Wisconsin to make people responsinble for their actions.

I do have a car I could be driving. I choose to drive my bicycle instead.
The 30 seconds you lose because I'm not driving 10 miles over the speed limit should not make you late for work. If it does make you late for work, perhaps you should leave a few minutes earlier and give everyone a chance to safely get from one place to another.
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greggs Apr 26, 2011 3:19 AM
MilwaukeeMax, you make some good points, but as always they're peppered with name-calling and childish antics. You might want to tone it down a bit so you don't get banned here like you did on skyscrapercity.com.

My question: if dooring in Wisconsin has a $40 fine, how is that not being tracked? Can't they just search the database for those fines?
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Vandelay Industries Apr 26, 2011 8:17 AM
I was driving late at night, got off the freeway at Jackson/Van Buren, hopped onto Wells and worked my way over to Farwell. Almost immediately after getting onto Farwell (a one way street) traffic started to slow down. There was a string of bicyclists... seemingly hundreds of them... that stretched all the way from Kilbourne to North Avenue. They were riding several bikes abreast and took up the entire right-hand lane. All motorized vehicles were forced into the left-hand lane. Several cars attempted to make right-hand turns (slowing down, turning on their blinker, trying to edge slowly into the right-hand lane when there was a break in the flow) but the cyclists wouldn't allow it. They would immediately speed up to cut the driver off and temporarily spread themselves thinner (single file) so they were sure not to allow space for cars to merge. We were all trapped. All we could do was keep going straight, but then one of the bicyclists decided didn't want to allow us to do that, either. When we reached North Avenue, he broke away from the pack and started to ride around in circles in the middle of the intersection of Farwell & North. He did it through all the green lights, all the red lights, he ignored turn arrows and Walk signals for pedestrians. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and we all just had to wait. To everyones credit, no one honked or shouted; there were no untoward displays of anger. We all just waited. And waited. And waited. He finally got bored and moved on to catch up with the rest of his group.

Now tell me... who was acting like King of the Road?
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ekk Apr 26, 2011 11:07 AM
I'm an avid cyclist (road bike) who had an incident with a motor vehicle driver last year who decided I had no right to be on his road. Drove up next to me (within 1-2 feet) rolled his window down and screamed at me to get my you-know-what off the road. Followed that with a profanity laced tirade about how I was impeding the flow of traffic and that I belonged on the side walk.

Sorry you motor vehicle drivers, but I take my place in the traffic lane when necessary to protect myself (avoid parked cars, road hazzards). I have every right to do that (if you don't think so, I would suggest you read State Statute 346.80). I'm also one who rides as far right as possible when it doesn't pose a "threat" to my safety. By law, you are required to give me at least 3' of space when passing. If you can't you should wait for a safe opportunity to do so. (Statute 346.075)

Bottom line is, people are just clueless about bicyclists right to "share" the road. I would suggest those of you posting on here about bikers "causing" accidents do some serious thinking. Most of the time accidents are caused by impatient, inattentive driver's in a hurry to get somewhere.

KPOM1-not wearing a helmet has nothing to do with "causing" accidents.
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JsMom46 Apr 26, 2011 11:14 AM
"Impeding the flow of traffic"??? One car is not traffic.
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okiefo Apr 26, 2011 11:22 AM
ekk-what those cyclists did is illegal. Wisconsin law allows two abreast riding only if it does not impede the flow of traffic. Someone should've called the police and reported the group. That's the only way bad biking behavior will change. I ride several times a week with a group and obey the rules of the road. However, just like there are rude and belligerent drivers, there are also rude and beligerent bikers. Increased enforcement and education would help, but the bottom line is, it comes down to common sense, safety and courtesy by all.
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JsMom46 Apr 26, 2011 11:23 AM