The Doors!
You’ve just parked, turned off your car, and given a sigh of relief that you’re no longer stuck in traffic. You reach for your things, kick open your door and CRASH!
Okay, so you didn’t “door” a cyclist. But you very well could have! Just because you stopped driving doesn’t mean you can stop looking. Dooring is one of the most common crashes for cyclists. And in many areas (including Massachusetts) the driver is at fault for opening their door in the path of oncoming traffic! So remember:
Bikeyface, if you don’t mind, I have incorporated your bottom picture into a presentation I have for Drivers Education students, on driving around cyclists. I did not modify it in any way, including retaining the copyright notice. If that’s not okay, please let me know and I’ll remove it or whatever else you want me to do.
By the way, I’m surprised no one has posted this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CudJvSbS2aY
A second piece of advice for your students, if it’s okay to offer such, is to unlatch the door first, i.e., open a half-inch or so, before you get around to opening it.
In addition, on my car, which is (a) red and (b) old and ugly, I ran a strip of (red) reflective tape just on the inside of the door, so that as soon as it is open just a little, it is reflecting headlights (bicycle or car) at night. I wouldn’t expect most car drivers to do this, but they should. For a white car, you might use white.
Every day i ride on a long road where the bikelane is exactly the doorzone. The next lane is for streettrain. It is impossible to be outside the door zone. Every morning i wait for the crash.
In Italy, in order to pass your driver’s test, you have to open the driver’s side door with your right hand, because it makes you turn and look for cyclists. I learned this when I raced my bike in Italy. It’s awesome. In France, it is against the law (it’s in the French Constitution, actually) that it is illegal to impede the running of the Tour de France. Awesome facts from awesome countries with way more of a bike culture.