dreadedmonkeygod . net

Over the weekend I was yelled at twice while riding my bike. One pair of teenagers in an SUV actually slowed down and waited for me to catch up so they could yell at me.

But Linda Willsey had it worse.

A careless driver opend his car door right in front of her. The crash left her in the emergency room with a fractured vertebra. And then the cops came to issue her a ticket for riding unsafely. And now the driver's insurance company is using the ticket as grounds to deny any claims in the case.

The reason: an obscure state law requiring cyclists to allow at least 3 feet between themselves and any stopped car.

There is, of course, no law requiring motorists to check that it's safe before opening their door.