New York, NY (May 1, 2025)—Today, Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez passed her Intro 193, the Mind the Door Act, to tackle the issue of “dooring”— the act of opening a car door into oncoming traffic, such as a cyclist or pedestrian, causing injury or death. Taxis and all for-hire vehicles will be provided a decal warning to look out for cyclists when exiting the vehicle, which must be displayed on all passenger doors. 

Just today, our city lost another resident to a dooring incident, only to underscore just how important this legislation is. 

Dooring incidents are a serious issue. As biking in NYC becomes a more popular form of transportation, dooring incidents have increasingly occurred. Dooring- at its mildest- results in cuts and bruises to the cyclist, and at its worst, a life taken. Last year, a 64-year-old cyclist was tragically killed in the Council Members district when they were thrown into traffic after a driver opened his door into a bike path. Having worked with advocates on making safer streets and better visibility for cyclists on the road, this decal requirement is a simple way to alert passengers to check for cyclists before exiting a vehicle, leading to a reduction in dooring incidents. 

“‘Dooring’ is an entirely preventable danger that has taken lives and caused devastating injuries. It’s about taking one moment to be present before we act — because that moment can make all the difference. If this sticker can save one life, we’ve all done our jobs today,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez. 
“Requiring anti-dooring decals warning taxi and for-hire vehicle passengers to look for cyclists before exiting is a common-sense, low-cost measure that will undoubtedly save lives. There are few things more terrifying or dangerous for someone on a bike than a suddenly flung-open car door, and mandating the placement of decals that the Taxi and Limousine Commission already supplies will vastly improve safety without unduly burdening drivers. We’re grateful to Council Member Gutiérrez for sponsoring this smart legislation, and we’re excited to see it pass.” — Eric McClure, Executive Director, StreetsPAC

“Too many New Yorkers have died from being struck on their bikes by an opening car door and thrown into moving traffic. For-hire vehicles constantly stop to let passengers out, and often the passengers are visitors to the city who may not be aware of NYC’s significant bike traffic. It only makes sense to require a simple educational measure in those vehicles. Taking action to prevent traffic deaths before they happen is what Vision Zero really is. We couldn’t be more grateful to Council Member Jen Gutiérrez and all the bill’s sponsors for getting this key cycling safety measure done,” — Jon Orcutt, Bike New York advocacy director.

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