“Getting doored” is the term for what happens when somebody opens the car door unexpectedly, and a cyclist rams into the door. It’s very common in San Francisco, and I’ve personally have met 2 people that have been doored. The first person was riding in a bike lane and a Lyft passenger opened a back door without looking, and the guy broke his arm in several places. This is now a $250,000 lawsuit against Lyft, and also against the driver, because the driver is legally responsible for making sure the area is clear when a client gets out of his car!

At this point, there are several lawsuits for 6 figures about bicylists getting doored, because it’s not their fault when they’re riding down the bike lane. So when you drive, don’t get bored, or you could get someone doored. There’s no magical safety rule that will avoid this, you just have to pay attention every single time you drop somebody off. If you get this wrong, you could get sued, you could lose your house, you could lose everything you have due to somebody getting out of your car at the wrong time.