aspiringcyclist wrote:And this is where the victim blaming comes in. Cyclists avoiding the door zone is mitigation for other people's behaviour. The same way avoiding certain areas at night is and looking even if the pelican crossing light is green.
And these are all good things. If you take needless risks and it goes wrong then you are partly to blame. We mitigate for other people all the time. The Highway Code is full of advice to mitigate other people's behaviour.
look well ahead for obstructions in the road, such as drains, pot-holes and parked vehicles so that you do not have to swerve suddenly to avoid them. Leave plenty of room when passing parked vehicles and watch out for doors being opened
All cyclists should consider the benefits of undertaking cycle training
You can either believe that if you do nothing wrong you are OK or you can believe that other people are always going to make mistakes and being a safe driver or cyclist involves anticipating what hazards there are and doing what you can to mitigate the consequences of a mistake.