To the owner of the blue Vauxhall,
This morning at around 08:35, you arrived home. I know because I was travelling down Sandy Lane, about to turn right into Picow Farm Road when you blindly flung your door out into traffic and I nearly drove into it.
I don’t really mind driving into your door as your insurance will cover it (seeing as you’d be 100% at fault because you didn’t look) but I’d rather not have an Agila door sized dent in my car. I’m almost positive you’d like to have 4 doors and not 3 attached to your car as well as what no claims bonus you have accrued by being a safe and careful driver (!).
Driving into your door isn’t that dangerous on its own. It may end up you being injured by not looking before you get out into traffic (which frankly, is stupid on a Darwinian scale as cars like mine, which weigh 1600 kilos generally win when they run people over at speed) and it could write your car off as well as injure the occupants of the car that drives into your door, which would be completely and entirely not their fault.
I’m not sure how familiar you are with motorcycles and bicycles and their safety but if you open a car door into their path, one of two things will happen:
Either a motorcycle will simply stop as it attempts to ride through your door at 30mph, thus catapulting the poor rider through the air to almost certain agony, pain and broken limbs, or a cyclist will hit your car door, and be catapulted through the air to the same impending doom. Depending on how far they are from your car, the point at the top of the door will hit them square in the forehead and almost certainly kill them, if not seriously injure or brain damage them.
I’m sure you’d rather not kill, maim and injure the population of our local area (yes – I am local to you and I pass your frankly stupidly parked car most days) and I’m reasonably sure you’d not like to be prosecuted for the offence as well. Death by Dangerous Driving generally doesn’t go down well when people ask if you have a criminal record.
“But surely opening your door without looking isn’t a criminal offence, it’s just sheer stupidity!” I hear you say? Here are the relevant laws that apply to it:
Parking (239 to 247)
239
Use off-street parking areas, or bays marked out with white lines on the road as parking places, wherever possible. If you have to stop on the roadside:
Do not park facing against the traffic flow
Stop as close as you can to the side
Do not stop too close to a vehicle displaying a Blue Badge: remember, the occupant may need more room to get in or out
You MUST switch off the engine, headlights and fog lights
You MUST apply the handbrake before leaving the vehicle
You MUST ensure you do not hit anyone when you open your door. Check for cyclists or other traffic
It is safer for your passengers (especially children) to get out of the vehicle on the side next to the kerb
Put all valuables out of sight and make sure your vehicle is secure
Lock your vehicle.
Laws CUR reg 98, 105 & 107, RVLR reg 27 & RTA 1988 sect 42
Seriously, just look. You have a mirror for a reason. It could save somebody’s life.
