Reporting from Illinois Public Radio's Luke Runyon used in this report.
The Illinois Department of Transportation doesn't keep statistics on accidents unless a moving car is involved. That's why Ed Barsotti with theLeague of Illinois Bicyclists says "dooring" was invisible in state record books.
"The standard 'dooring' crash is one where a cyclist comes up, and a parked car which is not moving, opens the door into the path of the cyclist," Barsotti said. "That had not been reported, that had not been kept track of in the data that I-DOT keeps."
But it will be now. At the governor's direction, I-DOT must keep tabs on all "dooring" accidents and include the totals in traffic safety reports.
Barsotti says those numbers will be invaluable to groups like his. He says to call "dooring" a problem, bike safety groups need data to back up that claim.
