Tues after Labour Day... I'm sure that this is the busiest day for automotive insurance companies. The traffic seems to double overnight and people get corespondingly more frazzled. Today is exactly that day.
It's a gorgeous late summer day today and I was having a good time pedalling along on my way to work when suddenly a car door opens in front of me. I swerved to avoid the door, but when correcting my course, I wasn't able to avoid the car parked 2 spaces up the road. I got slowed down to 25km/h or so by the time I scraped along the side of it, took out the side mirror (see pic to right) and crashed to the ground.
I have a small amount of road rash and my left knee is a bit sore. My front wheel is beyond repair and my right brake hood is all ripped up. The biggest damage was definately to the car.
I've got 20 years experience in riding in city traffic and have little fear of commuting on any roads. I'm well aware of the danger of car doors, which is why I'm so pissed off at myself for getting into this situation.
Lately I've been taking a fair amount of abuse for taking up too much space on my bike. I get honked at and yelled at. I frequently get the bird flipped at me. This abuse wears one down after a bit and when I'm not fully paying attention, I subconsiously drift closer to the parked cars in avoidance of the impatient motorist. For the commuting cyclist position is EVERYTHING! This morning was one of those times where even though I was aware of my surroundings, I gapped on my positioning and paid the price.
The insurance company has the details, and even though there is no witnesses, I should be able to get my wheel and brake hoods paid for. According to the ICBC (insurance company) website, opening a car door when its not safe is generally considered 100% liable. I've got an appointment with an adjuster tomorrow AM. I'll keep you updated on the progress.
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