Oh noes...another foreigner on a rant

So Wednesday, I was bringing my folks, who are visiting my wife and I, to our school for the afternoon and had to stop by the DVD store on the way to pick up a movie for one of my classes. I pulled over in a white zone as far off the road as possible thanks to some git who left their little drink stand on the side of the road. I was about 2/3 of the way off the road. I put on my hazards to be safe, looked out my sideview mirror to check for traffic then looked out my rear window to be double safe. Nothing was coming so I started to open my door. I had barely opened it four inches when this stupid fucking old man came barrelling out of nowhere and caught the side of my door on his scooter. The tip of the door got stuck on the scooter as the old git just tried to blast his way past and he ended up almost ripping the door right off the frame! He did not wipe out, fall down or even get scratched. So I got out of the car, furious, and started shouting at him in Chinese, saying “What are you doing? Do you have any eyes? Look what you did to my door!” and made a very clear show of my door being completely fucked up and not closing. So what was his reaction? Look at me with a blank stare as his cigarette dangled from his mouth then turn around and gun his engine!! He fucking took off!! I scrambled to get a piece of paper to write down his licence plate number, visions of chasing the asshole in my car racing through my head. I went straight back to my school and rang up my father-in-law as A) it’s technically his car and B) he’s quite chummy with all the local cops.

He came over as my dad, who’s a mechanic, was going over the door. The old fuck had snapped a hinge completely in half. And here’s the kicker: the hinge was part of the frame!!! That’s how fast he was going when he hit the car!!

So what does my dad-in-law say? It was half my fault for pulling over on the side of the road! I was in a white zone!! What the hell else is the white zone for? Oh, that’s right, leaving your deep fry stand and adverts for you pharmacy in! How silly of me! And then he says there’s no point calling the cops! So the old fuck is just going to get away with totally screwing up my door and I’m going to have to pay for it. Some days I really hate how things work in this country.

Anyway, I know ranting isn’t going to do anything, but this has really been pissing me off the last couple days and I need to blow some steam.

Have you ever been riding a scooter when someone swings a car door open and just about takes you out? How did you feel towards that person?

No, he didn’t come out of nowhere. He was there all the time and you just failed to spot him. Your fault entirely. Specially as you were parked so far out in the street that you felt it prudent to use your hazard lights.
You’re completely in the wrong whichever way you cut it, from where I’m standing. Although the old man shouldn’t have scooted off – I’d have stayed and got some cash out of you for damage to my vehicle.

Actually, no, I didn’t fail to spot him, I check very carefully whenever I have to open my door on the street side. And there’s a high possibility he made a right turn out from the intersection behind where I was parked.

I had my hazards on because the traffic on that road gets very crazy and I was forced to leave part of my car on the road due to some ass leaving their drink stand in the parking area. What’s so hard to understand about that? It was a choice of park slightly on the road or block the road off completely by double parking.

Also, my door was not wide open when he hit hit. It was a mere four inches open. Four inches. Not four feet. Now why the hell would you need to be that close to a parked car in the first place?

And yes, I have driven a scooter in Taiwan. And I have never felt the need to pass so close to a parked car that my scooter almost kissed it, so I’ve never had someone almost take me out.

Oh and I forgot to mention, I had been parked for almost a full minute before attempting to open my door and had been checking to see if the way was clear for a full 15 seconds to be safe, despite the lack of any oncoming traffic.

Man, you just don’t get it, do you? You doored a two-wheeler. It’s YOUR fault. You failed to avoid hitting an idiot. It’s YOUR fault. That’s how it works in every country I’ve ever driven in, at least.

rob -
This thread sure isn’t going like you thought it would, eh?

Once again illustrating the hazards of posting your real life feelings on forumosa.com:smiley:

…Always remember Duck Boy!

He hit me. Not the other way around. He hit into my door, not my door hitting into his scooter. My door was already opening when his scooter collided into it. I had double checked to make sure the way was clear when I started opening. Then he hit me. I did not hit him. I refuse to take any fault for him hitting my car.

Now, had I smacked him as he was driving past, yes, I would accept full responsibilty for it. That would be a clear case of me in the wrong. But I didn’t hit him. He hit me. Plain and simple. And I have two witnesses to back me up.

EDIT: And no, I don’t remember duck boy. What happened with him?

And actually, yes, you DID fail to spot him, otherwise you presumably wouldn’t have opened your door into his path. And yes, you DID park out in the street. Who cares if the “parking space” was occupied? Park elsewhere. That’s how it works when you’re driving a car. You ESPECIALLY don’t leave your vehicle out in the road in a place you already know to have crazy traffic. Yes, the old man was probably driving like a fool. That’s no excuse for hitting him with your door.

Look, Sandman’s right. You opened your door in the path of a moving vehicle. Four inches or all the way it doesn’t matter. Further, if as you say the scooter made a quick right turn from the intersection behind you, then you were too close to that intersection which is also your fault. If you were parked at a legal and safe distance you would have heard and seen the scooter in time, in all likelihood.

Come on, you opened your door as a vehicle was approaching. How is this not your fault?

Your door was open just four inches. That means he must have been right upon you when you started opening it. And you failed to see him. You can refuse to accept this as much as you like, but it just makes you look like a fool, which I’m quite sure you’re not. You’re mightily pissed at bashing up your father in law’s car and are having difficulty accepting that you made an error. No big deal – everybody makes a mistake now and then.
But opening your door into the path of “vehicle that isn’t there” is an error. Plain and simple. Compounded by a scooter driving too fast and too close. Compounded further by your being parked out in the traffic.
I get the feeling you’d even prefer to blame the owner of the drink stand than accept that you messed up.

There’s also the fact that the guy didn’t even go down. I’ve been doored twice in my life. Once on a bicycle and once on a 1000 cc Laverda. Both times I was traveling slow. Both times I came off. Even in the bicycle incident I caused far more serious damage to the door than you describe above. In the Laverda incident, I ripped the door right off its hinges, bent it into a pretzel and twisted the door frame itself, busting out the car’s windshield. If this guy was really travelling fast, I find it rather difficult to believe he wouldn’t have fallen, suggesting to me that perhaps he wasn’t actually traveling that fast at all. But that of course is conjecture so I won’t go there.

The way to deal with this is to say: “Phew! Thank FUCK the guy wasn’t injured. Thank FUCK I got away with it this time. That’ll teach me to pay a bit more attention in future!”

Well, I just learned a big lesson: First get the guy’s license, then spend time yelling at him.

[quote=“rob_the_canuck”]
He hit me. Not the other way around. He hit into my door, not my door hitting into his scooter. My door was already opening when his scooter collided into it.[/quote]
You put your door into a place where he could not possibly avoid hitting it. For sure he was probably riding too fast for the conditions and closer to the parked cars than I would call safe. You were parked out into the traffic beyond the line formed by the other cars parked in the line there.

I’m sure you did look, but it’s not his fault you didn’t see him, unless he materialized from a parallel dimension at the exact moment you opened your door. You just didn’t look hard enough before opening your door.

Refuse all you like, but it doesn’t make you any less culpable.

How about this. You go to the cops and explain to them what happened. See what they say. I bet you they tell you that you’re lucky the guy didn’t stop and ask for compensation for the damages you did to him.

Rob, if Papa Bear thinks you should let it go, let it go.

But please, by all means, rant away. In one way or another, we’ve all beentheredonethat!

I am glad you are safe. That’s why we drive 2000 pound safety boxes, right? :wink:

Duck boy? Oh noes, don’t go there!!! :slight_smile:

What can I say…perhaps I was being a wee-bit stubborn. Perhaps I was allowing my emotions cloud my emotions. I guess I was more pissed off about banging up my dad-in-law’s car than anything else. Sometimes I need to be beaten over the head with a point before I get it…

I am grateful that the old guy didn’t get hurt and that his scooter didn’t suffer any damage.

And btw, I would not rather blame the owner of the drink stand. They were stupid for leaving it in the only legal parking area, but I was the one who chose to park there. It may take some time and thought, but I always own up to my mistakes. And having given thought to the comments of people who more than likely have more experience in matters like this, I can see that this was indeed my fault.

jd, yeah, I’m okay, thanks for asking.

You can also say to yourself: “Phew! Thank FUCK my dad-in-law doesn’t drive a limited edition Porsche with custom coachwork!”

At least it was just the Nissan…not his Benz…

I saw the outcome of a legal case like this once. The judge apportioned half the blame to each side – half to the rider for being too close to the cars, and half to the driver for not looking adequately before opening the door.

be happy he didnt fall and die !! Then your troubles will really begin. No matter whos fault it is.

Too true. I had a Taiwanese friend who’s fiancee hit an old man illegally crossing the inner high speed lanes on Ren Ai. He was DOA.

Scared the crap out of her. He offered the family a nominal sum (I told him that was a mistake - they would mis-interpret it as fault). In return the family claimed the amount was insufficient and insulting; named some insane amount, and then proceeded to buy newpaper adds claiming she was a murderer. Later they sued. Luckily the police filed a favorable accident report and it was bounced out of court - two years later. Apperently they were lucky that it was the high-speed inner lanes, otherwise if there was no barrier, the outcome may have been different.

No fun for anyone involved. Especially for the poor old man.

[quote=“rob_the_canuck”]What can I say…perhaps I was being a wee-bit stubborn. Perhaps I was allowing my emotions cloud my emotions. I guess I was more pissed off about banging up my dad-in-law’s car than anything else. Sometimes I need to be beaten over the head with a point before I get it…

I am grateful that the old guy didn’t get hurt and that his scooter didn’t suffer any damage.

And btw, I would not rather blame the owner of the drink stand. They were stupid for leaving it in the only legal parking area, but I was the one who chose to park there. It may take some time and thought, but I always own up to my mistakes. And having given thought to the comments of people who more than likely have more experience in matters like this, I can see that this was indeed my fault.

jd, yeah, I’m okay, thanks for asking.[/quote]

That was a very gracious response. :notworthy: :bravo: