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This morning on my ride into work, I saw a car door wide open. As I approached and saw a bicyclist wincing and breathing hard in front of the car, it clicked. "Did you get doored?" "Yeah", he replied, and lifted up his shirt to show a half-inch deep, 4 inch long gash in his chest, starting around his collarbone, in the perfect shape of the corner of the door. "Call the police", I urged. He nodded, and pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.

I've been shown hands where fingers don't move properly and heard horror stories of people ending up stuffed into the driver's side footwell.

Many people who don't bike (or have just started biking) think that bike injuries are pretty minor, but the reality is that a fall from a bike, even if your body isn't hit or run over, can still result in serious injuries- broken hands, wrists, arms. Speaking from first-hand experience, these injuries are extremely painful, result in weeks of hassle (ever tried to wash your dishes with one hand?), lost pay, and difficulty doing the fun things that keep you sane.

Bikers- what can you do to help yourself? Have well-adjusted brakes and wear a helmet. When riding near parked cars, keep your fingers on your brake (braking with the FRONT brake is most effective; practice bracing yourself against hard braking.) Use a FRONT bike light as soon as the sun starts to set, and look for signs someone's in the car and about to get out. ANY time you're injured by a driver, CALL THE POLICE, insist a report is filed, and go to the hospital (the driver's insurance covers it, unless you were at fault.) Adrenalin and shock can mask injuries.

Drivers- what can you do? It's really, really simple: look in your mirror before you open your door.