Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Mar 21
st, 2014 at 11:17am:
Well - it was not a bike lane and there are multiple factors at work here - which points to a need to change 'laws' in this case.
Opening a door facing a gutter is not a situation in which that door is not opened safely - every person has a reasonable expectation that such a situation is safe.
This is where 'laws' come unstuck - they seek to cover all situations where many arise in which they clearly cannot do so.
Multiple factors:-
the rider failed to keep a safe lookout
failed to ride defensively taking into account the situation
the occupant did not look behind
multiple factors are in play...
I'll try this:-
Last year I was driving on a narrow windy dirt road - and was VERY careful - since I did not know the road - to keep well to the left on corners. sure enough - a local lad in a red ute (is there any other kind?) came howling around one blind corner on the wrong side of the road - and only because of my careful prior consideration of that possibility and my fast reactions was I able to head into the 'gutter' - 'go bush' to avoid a headon at considerable speed.
It's called situational awareness - and is something that bike riders should be taught before they are licensed..... as they so obviously need to be. Anticipate - be in front of your aircraft at all times - not playing catch-up - and always assume the other person is dumb
.
Agree with grappler here.
Some people have mentioned all sorts of road rules and who is right, who is wrong.
But there is an unwritten road rule we all sort of know and it goes something like this.
Doesn't matter who is right or who is wrong, on the battle scale it usually works out that:
bikes beat pedestrians
cars beat bikes
trucks beat cars
trains beat the lot of them.
So if you're on a bike, it makes sense to give way to cars, trucks and trains in any emergency, even if you technically don't have to. With pedestrians though, you can flex your muscle, you're king.