Met Police “Dooring” campaign video aims to reduce injury to cyclists and motorcyclists

Virtual reality video is part of “Project Edward” campaign

Met Police and Transport for London (TfL) launched a new virtual reality video on Thursday to raise awareness of ‘Dooring’ as part of ‘Project EDWARD’. On European Day Without A Road Death (EDWARD) officers from the Met’s Roads and Transport Command (RTPC), alongside partners from TfL launched a new virtual reality video to warn drivers, cyclists and motorbike riders about the dangers of ‘dooring’ – this is when drivers and passengers open their car doors in the path of cyclists and motorbikes.

Inspector Tony Mannakee, from the Met’s RTPC, said: “Most people will be aware to look out for cyclists and motorbike riders when they are driving; checking their blind spots and leaving plenty of room between vehicle and bike. “The purpose of this new video is to remind people that even though you may have stopped your vehicle and have parked it on the road, the dangers are still there. “Something as simple as ‘dooring’ can cause life-changing injuries to cyclists and it’s an act that can be so easily avoided by taking a few extra seconds to check surroundings and making sure that no cyclists are passing your vehicle.” Figures released by the Department for Transport show that between 2011 and 2015 there were 3108 people injured through dooring incidents, with eight of these being fatal. Although the majority of dooring injuries were to cyclists, figures obtained by Cycling UK show that 34 motorcyclists were seriously injured and 280 slightly injured in that period in Great Britain. As well as launching the new VR video, officers from the roads command are implementing a focused day of action tackling dangerous drivers on more than 100 priority roads within the Met’s jurisdiction.

Image credit: Met Police