One minute cycling, the next flying into ACC cycle v car figures

Tuesday, 12 January 2021

There are calls for Kiwis to adopt a safer way of opening their car doors.

Quentin Abraham was cycling down Jervois Quay in Wellington. Then he was flying backwards through the air above it, bloodied, bruised and into the books as part of a $45 million ACC cost.

The incident, in which the cyclist slammed into a passenger’s opening door, happened on December 7 but Abraham still sports the scars and a painful hip.

ACC figures show that cycle v vehicle accidents cost the organisation almost $45m during the past decade. More than $1m has been spent since 2017 specifically on cyclists hitting car doors.

The Wellington City Council data shows cycle use in the capital has increased by 162 per cent since 2000 and ACC figures show that, as more of us ride, more are getting hurt.

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Figures like that – and her own personal experience – has Deputy Wellington Mayor Sarah Free urging drivers to adopt the so-called “Dutch reach”, a technique where drivers open car doors using their left hand, which makes them reach across their waist and means they are more-likely to look behind.

Deputy Mayor Sarah Free is calling for drivers to adopt the “Dutch reach” to avoid hitting cyclists.

“I’ve had near misses myself on my bike where I’ve had to suddenly swerve to avoid a car door opening on me,” Free said.

“People are always apologetic but if there is a collision the damage will have been done - and nobody wants that. We still need safer physical infrastructure but the Dutch reach is a useful tool in the toolbox.”

Abraham believed the Dutch reach would have helped in his case but it was only a start. What was needed was proper cycle ways and infrastructure.

He still experienced flashbacks to the car door opening suddenly, of his bike then left arm ploughing into it, then flying about 2 metres backwards and landing in the busy road. He remembers the passenger standing over him looking worried, then disappearing, then being helped by passersby.

As more people ride, more are getting injured.

He still had scars and ACC was helping fund an osteopath to help with his painful hip.

Cycling advocate Patrick Morgan said the Dutch reach was only a minor solution – a network of protected bike lanes was needed.

The law already required passengers and drivers to check behind before opening car doors, the Cycling Action Network spokesman said.

In 2019 a Waikato man suffered a brain injury, smashed ribs, and got a metal plate in his arm when a driver opened his door into the cyclist’s path, sending him in front of a ute which then ran him over.

The driver pleaded guilty to a single charge of careless operation of a motor vehicle causing injury.

ACC figures show that all accidents between vehicles and cyclists, from 2010 to September 2020, cost it more than $45m. In 2010 that cost was $2.2m but had been trending up.

Cycling was only beaten by fitness and gym in a ranking of how many claims were made for individual – as opposed to team – sports. Jogging, weightlifting, scooters, tennis, and horse riding all ranked lower.

Compared to team sports, cycling was placed between football and netball.

Capital & Coast District Health Board patient flow clinical director Andre Cromhout said cyclists only occasionally ended up in the emergency department after hitting car doors.