Study says cars, not bikes, cause accidents...

Researchers say the most common type of crash is when a motorist enters an intersection before stopping properly, or proceeding before it's safe to do so. The second most common crash involves a motorist passing a cyclist unsafely. And the third is the famous -- and greatly feared -- dooring. When a driver opens his door right into a passing cyclist.

Which leads us to Exhibit A: My friend got doored just last week while cruising down Polk Street. :(

Ouch. Luckily, there were no major injuries. (But you should have seen the door - required a call to Triple AAA).

The University of Toronto researchers say car-bike collisions have more to do with aggressive driving than aggressive cycling. Out on the road, both in my car and on my bike, I've seen my fair share of both: aggressive cyclists and aggressive drivers.

While there are plenty of drivers that hate cyclists and vice versa, I feel like the main issue is awareness. People just aren't thinking about bikes, whether they're driving their cars aggressively or not. I keep dreaming of TV and radio PSAs reminding drivers that there are also cyclists on the road. I can imagine these being very effective! Quick, 30-second commercials showing a driver dooring someone. Or turning left in front of an oncoming cyclist. They'll need some stuntmen for this...

If people were made much more aware that they're sharing the road, would car-bike collisions go down?