VICTORIA -- Opening the driver's side door of a van without looking is going to cost a man $368, according to Oak Bay police.
For the first time the history of the seaside police department, a ticket for dooring a cyclist has been handed down.
Dooring is when the driver of a parked car opens their door without looking and causes a cyclist to crash.
Oak Bay police say a 32-year-old man opened the door of his van on Monterey Avenue, striking a cyclist on Oct. 7.
“The cyclist ran into the open door and was thrown from his bicycle,” said Oak Bay police deputy chief Mark Fisher.
Police say the cyclist, a 35-year old man, received non-life-threatening injuries.
“When these incidents do happen, there is a high potential for serious injuries to the cyclist given the high likelihood that they will be thrown from their bicycle and have very little time to react to the hazard,” said Fisher.
The driver of the van was issued a ticket for opening a door while unsafe.
B.C. quadrupled its fine for dooring cyclists on Sept 21. The previous fine was $81, among the lowest in Canada. .
