That's the expensive lesson the owner of this $80,000 BMW 6-Series learned this afternoon. As I was walking down Broadway to tonight's City Council meeting, I heard a loud bang and looked up just as a Metro Bus 181 plowed into the BMW's door.
It's possible that the bus could have drifted over and plowed into the door, but it seems much more likely that the BMW threw open the door into traffic without looking. The inattentive BMW driver is in fact FORTUNATE he was only hit by a bus because his negligent actions may very well have put a cyclist's life in danger via "dooring".
Learn from BMW guy's mistake and look before opening your door.
6 comments:
I also intensely dislike the people that park and open their driver side doors - and leave them open. They are fiddling with Lord knows what and everyone just has to drive around them. Often times you have to change lanes or drift into the on coming traffic lane! It is just plain rude.
My understanding of the traffic law is that it is the responsibility of oncoming traffic to avoid the door. I think in terms of insurance fault it goes to the bus.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22517.htm
Opening and Closing Doors
22517. No person shall open the door of a vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe to do so and can be done without interfering with the movement of such traffic, nor shall any person leave a door open upon the side of a vehicle available to moving traffic for a period of time longer than necessary to load or unload passengers.
Amended Ch. 162, Stats. 1963. Effective September 20, 1963.
Good comments. The traffic law makes sense, because obviously someone can throw open a car door in far less time than an oncoming driver could possibly react to the obstacle and come to a complete stop.
I included the speculation about the bus drifting over in the original post because I thought it might have been THEORETICALLY possible that the guy had the door open a crack, and the bus drifted over and caught the crack, opening the door wider in the process.
But looking at the pictures again this morning, I don't think that could be the case, as the door and front three-quarter panels of the BMW would have sustained more damage in that scenario. It appears as if the BMW's door was open wide and the bus grazed the very edge of the door, breaking the glass but not actually ripping off the door or pushing it very far forward. If you look at the first picture, the interior of the BMW's door is intact, showing that the bus only made contact with the very edge.
...an inattentive BMW driver in Glendale?? Nonsense!
I had this happen I live by bus stop was parked 2 feet up on the side walk saw bus opened door as bus veered to bus stop he caught my door that would be my fault ??? UNBELIEVABLE is that true feel bus driver is trained on public traffic procedures and because happened in front of residence think thatis unfair bus driver saw me as he approached thats my fault his mis calculation wow
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