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Lane Sharing/ Splitting car door opens in my path:

R

ric.escalante

New member
Lane Sharing/ Splitting car door opens in my path caught on video:

What are your thoughts on this? In California, it's LEGAL to lane share/split. While I was doing that, a car opened their door in my path.

According to CHP and my insurance, I was in the guidelines. I was not on the line, I was going at a safe speed. The question now comes to, why did the passenger open their door.

 
Last edited:
Cal said:
Because you were there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yeah.....I'm thinking it was intentional. I have it slowed down, and just can't get over the fact that someone would do that. And the other thing is, if I didn't have my GoPro on, I'd be screwed.
 
ric.escalante said:
According to CHP and my insurance, I was in the guidelines. I was not on the line, I was going at a safe speed. The question now comes to, why did the passenger open their door.
Click to expand...

Who knows why, and I don't plan on second guessing, but I have to wonder why someone would open their car door on a freeway. At least you got the license plate of the SUV. Hopefully, the CHP will follow up with the cars owner, and it would be even better if they let you know the results.
 
ric.escalante said:
Yeah.....I'm thinking it was intentional. I have it slowed down, and just can't get over the fact that someone would do that. And the other thing is, if I didn't have my GoPro on, I'd be screwed.
Click to expand...
Not so sure. It appears to me that the passenger (who appears to be an early-/mid-teen, i.e., not the people most likely to think about the consequences of their actions) has her head down, as if she is either looking for something alongside the seat, getting ready to spit out a piece of gum, etc. Since the cage traffic is hardly moving, it's not like she was opening the door when it would be "dangerous" (like at 60 mph). So my vote is unthinking youngster, not malice.
 
mneblett said:
Not so sure. It appears to me that the passenger (who appears to be an early-/mid-teen, i.e., not the people most likely to think about the consequences of their actions) has her head down, as if she is either looking for something alongside the seat, getting ready to spit out a piece of gum, etc. Since the cage traffic is hardly moving, it's not like she was opening the door when it would be "dangerous" (like at 60 mph). So my vote is unthinking youngster, not malice.
Click to expand...

I'm kind of thinking the same. Rear passenger, probably not looking rearward. Stupidity is more common than ill will.

Did you stop?
 
lkraus said:
I'm kind of thinking the same. Rear passenger, probably not looking rearward. Stupidity is more common than ill will.

Did you stop?
Click to expand...

It's just so hard to tell. Only he knows. It's actually a guy in his 30's. I have a screenshot of his face. Yeah, I stopped to the shoulder. Wasn't going to stop in the median. I didn't know their intentions so, so didn't want to get run over. They didn't stop or pull to shoulder. Reported it to CHP and all that. It is illegal to open your door on the freeway in California. So intentional or not, they're responsible for the damage. It was just timed too perfect.
 
ric.escalante said:
They didn't stop or pull to shoulder. Reported it to CHP and all that. It is illegal to open your door on the freeway in California.
Click to expand...

So they probably have a hit-run violation as well. Good that your video picked up the plate number.

Oh, nice recovery...
 
ric.escalante said:
. It was just timed too perfect.
Click to expand...

The timing was perfect for contact; however that in no way means it was intentional. If he opened it 10 seconds later it would not be a posted video. It is like a deer strike, it really is about the timing, not the intention or the deer.

Look at the persons body position. If they wanted to hit you they would have opened the door and leaned away from contact. This person opened the door and leaned into the contact area. He had no idea you were there.
 
The way I see it, it's like Texting. You didn't mean to rear end the guy, but you were illegally texting, so you're %110 at fault. Same thing with the door. It's illegal to open your door on a freeway. You might not have meant to hit the guy (me), but you should have to suffer the consequences for your actions for whatever (CVC 22517) fine is.
 
ric.escalante said:
The way I see it, it's like Texting. You didn't mean to rear end the guy, but you were illegally texting, so you're %110 at fault. Same thing with the door. It's illegal to open your door on a freeway. You might not have meant to hit the guy (me), but you should have to suffer the consequences for your actions for whatever (CVC 22517) fine is.
Click to expand...

True. Whatever his intent the drive's insurance has to pay. Out of curiosity what freeway were you on and what city when this occurred?
 
I don't think it was intentional. Looks like the person made an attempt to quickly close the door once he saw the bike. Maybe was going to pour out a drink onto the pavement.
 
ric.escalante said:
Only he knows. It's actually a guy in his 30's. I have a screenshot of his face.
Click to expand...
Really?? I would have sworn that in the first (slowed/stopped) screen I saw a girl-like high ponytail when (s)he turned her/his head.

EDIT: After looking again, I may have mistaken a dark line of the dashboard for a ponytail. In any event, it still looked unthoughtful/unintentional (like oh, cr@p!) to me. Of course, I'm the sort that thinks "never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity."
 
Glad you were not seriously hurt. :thumb

Curiosity question though:

Having watched your video, there appear to be huge gaps behind most vehicles and traffic seems to be in motion.

Why were you lane splitting in the first place?
 
greenwald said:
Glad you were not seriously hurt. :thumb

Curiosity question though:

Having watched your video, there appear to be huge gaps behind most vehicles and traffic seems to be in motion.

Why were you lane splitting in the first place?
Click to expand...
It will be interesting to hear his answer, but I would observe that the traffic was moving rather slowly (<20 mph?), and it is perfectly acceptable to lane-split in CA with traffic moving at low speed.

As far as the spacing, that looks normal low-speed, moving heavy traffic spacing, based on my 35+ years of daily commuting in Wash., DC traffic (involving both 70+ mph interstates and 2-45 mph heavy street traffic in the same twice-daily rides).

IIRC from your posts elsewhere, you are *strongly* anti-lane-splitting and think it should be banned, but this incident does not support your position -- traffic need not be at a dead stop to warrant allowing motorcycles to advance through the vehicular molasses.
.
 
mneblett said:
It will be interesting to hear his answer, but I would observe that the traffic was moving rather slowly (<20 mph?), and it is perfectly acceptable to lane-split in CA with traffic moving at low speed.

As far as the spacing, that looks normal low-speed, moving heavy traffic spacing, based on my 35+ years of daily commuting in Wash., DC traffic (involving both 70+ mph interstates and 2-45 mph heavy street traffic in the same twice-daily rides).

IIRC from your posts elsewhere, you are *strongly* anti-lane-splitting and think it should be banned, but this incident does not support your position -- traffic need not be at a dead stop to warrant allowing motorcycles to advance through the vehicular molasses.
.
Click to expand...

News flash Mark -

I asked the OP why he chose to lane split under the conditions present. I will await his answer, if he so wishes.

Your 'expert' psycho-analysis of what I'm currently thinking is unnecessary.
 
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