This
This is a huge problem. Add ‘reading a fucking book or newspaper’, which I’ve seen plenty of times too.
They should ban automatics for starters and make people actually drive their cars. Then they’d have to concentrate at least somewhat. There should be mandatory re-testing of drivers too, say every 5 years or so.
If you feel strongly about it, why not let them know?
Here are their details:
Boroondara Police Station
PH: (03) 8851 1111
Email: boroondara.uniC@police.vic.gov.au
Here’s mine, if you want any cues:
tell em what you really think ryan!!*
*i’m aware this is probably the polite version… 
edit - be awesome if you could post the response too.
I agree, but the point I was trying to make is that more than one life has been destroyed. Im sure Mrs Richards isnt alone in her lack of education/awareness and general negligence as a motorist… I, as Im sure you, see dozens of examples every day out on the road. Unfortunately this particular incident had horrible consequences. How do you affect change? Do you focus on the the individual, or do you look the wider problems. This just reinforces my feelings that:
- Driver education/enforcement is inadequate and ill-directed
- Rider education is essentially non-existent
- The majority of cycle infrastructure (and PT infrastructure) is under-funded and poorly thought out
- Generally, policy makers and politicians just dont give a fuck
^ still passing the blame though. Fuck her. (and the cops too for the record)
Im not passing anything.
Don’t do things in halves do ya Ryan?! 
it is not about her balki, i am sure she is a bit upset
it is more about the system which has now officially declared that a person will not be charged with a fairly serious offence, despite significant evidence and eyewitnesses, because as far as they are concerned it was ‘just’ a cyclist
but that’s victorian police for you, shouldnt really expect anything else
Friday afternoon ‘analysis’ learns me that:
According to the Australian road rules:
“A person must not cause a hazard to any person or vehicle
by opening a door of a vehicle, leaving a door of a vehicle
open, or getting off, or out of, a vehicle.”
So it’s likely to be a violation of the road rules. Second, and this is where things will inevitably hit muddy waters:
According to the Crimes Act 1958 - SECT 319:
“A person who, by driving a motor vehicle at a speed or in a manner that is
dangerous to the public having regard to all the circumstances of the case,
causes the death of another person is guilty of an indictable offence and
liable to level 5 imprisonment (10 years maximum).”
Is opening a door into traffic “driving a motor vehicle in a manner that is dangerous to the public”?
I would argue that “driving” is synonymous with “being in command of”. So even though the vehicle is switched off and not moving, the person opening the door is in command of one of the vehicle’s functions, opening the door, and thus “driving” the vehicle.
But the Australian legal system is common law and it works in interesting ways. I would say this at least deserves to be tested in court.
In this case I much prefer the civil law system in my home country (NL) that states that in every collision between a motor vehicle and a cyclist or pedestrian, the driver is assumed to be at fault until proven otherwise. But that’s beside the point really.
i recall hearing that if you are asleep in the back of your car drunk, with your keys in hand, you are still technically in control of the vehicle and can therefore be charged with drink driving.
it’s probably bullshit, but it’s almost ridiculous enough to be believable…
If you’re writing to the Boroondara Police, you may as well CC it to the Police Minister.
For complaints regarding police, they need to go to the Office of Police Integrity.
Do things by halves, get them half done. Ha ha ha.
If there is a case where a judge ruled this way, that would significantly add to the argument that opening door whilst standing still is part of driving too.
For this reason, one of my former bartender colleagues leaves his keys behind the rear wheel of the car when he sleeps in his car after a big night out…
Why doesn’t he just sleep in the gutter or a laneway like we used to do in the good, old days?
but there is no argument because no charges have been pressed!
police dont press charges when :
- they think they can’t win in court (ie no evidence or eyewitnesses)
- the ‘offence’ is not significant enough to go to court over
- they are leaned on by ‘other factors’
this has old skool vic police written all over it
the only way this might be on-topic is by imagining what it would be like to get doored by one of the five inch thick armor plated doors of ‘the beast’
In a nutshell. The old biddy in the car has connections: everything points to it.