Sharing the road
You are about to get out of your car after parking along a street where bicyclists ride. What should you do before opening the door?
- Look for approaching bicyclists and avoid opening the door into their path. Correct answer
- Open the door quickly so it is in the open position for as short a time as possible.
- Open it only partway, since bicyclists must keep clear of parked cars.
Why
A car door swinging open in front of a moving bicycle is a crash the driver causes without the car moving at all. The manual asks you to look before you get out and not to open your door into the path of an oncoming bicyclist, and it adds that on the road side you must not open it if it will interfere with bicyclists or other traffic. Your mirrors are not enough on their own; the manual tells you to turn your head to check for bicyclists next to you or approaching. Opening the door fast or halfway does not remove the risk, and nothing in the manual puts the duty on the cyclist to avoid your door. The door stays shut until you have turned your head and checked behind you.
Where this comes from
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), April 2026 version. The correct answer is Look for approaching bicyclists and avoid opening the door into their path.
More on sharing the road
- You are on a divided highway. On the opposite side of the median, a school bus has stopped with its red lights flashing. What must you do?
- A school bus ahead of you has stopped with its red lights flashing. What minimum distance from the bus does the manual tell you to keep when you stop?
- You have stopped for a school bus with flashing red lights. The children have finished crossing, but the bus has not moved and its red lights are still on. When may you drive on?
- A school district's stop-arm camera records the same vehicle passing a stopped school bus with flashing red lights for the second time within 18 months. What penalty does the vehicle owner face?