Greens introduce bill to create penalties for car door crashes

Road Safety Amendment (Car Doors) Bill 2012

Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan) -- I move: 
     That the bill be now read a second time. 

Figures from the VicRoads 'CrashStats' database suggest that in 2009 and 2010 accidents involving car doors being thrown open in the path of cyclists represented 8 per cent of all recorded bicycle accidents, compared to an average of 4 per cent over the preceding 10 years. This means two or three such crashes each week.  

Awareness of this problem has risen recently, especially since the tragic death of James Cross, but in fact it has been growing for quite some years. The coroner's inquiry into the death of James Cross made a series of recommendations relating to education and changes to physical infrastructure, which we hope the government will implement soon. 

This bill delivers an enhanced enforcement provision which will support those measures. 

The amendment in this bill is based on the expression in the Road Safety Rules 2009 which relevantly provides that: 
     ... a person must not cause a hazard to any person or vehicle by opening a door of a vehicle, leaving a door of a vehicle open, or getting off, or out of, a vehicle. 

The penalty associated with this offence is 3 penalty units. 

Clause 3 creates a new summary offence and increases the penalty to 10 penalty units. Clause 4 provides for the imposition of demerit points. 

This brings the penalties for this offence into line with offences such as running a red light or driving past a stationary tram which has its doors open. 

Cycling as a form of transport and recreation is growing rapidly. Accidents are also increasing, but not as fast as cyclist numbers, suggesting that the increased awareness brought about by more cyclists on the roads of itself creates 'safety in numbers'. This bill is an important measure to protect vulnerable road users. 

I commend this bill to the house. 

Want to see this become law?  
Contact your local upper house MPs and tell them that you would like them to support the Road Safety Amendment (Car Doors) Bill 2012 and bring penalties for car-dooring cyclists into line with other similarly dangerous offences.  (Drop us a line if you want help to find which electorate you are in).

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