Why Door Opening Damage Is So Common in Narrow Parking Streets

Why Door Opening Damage Is So Common in Narrow Parking Streets

In narrow parking streets, damage is rarely caused by movement.

The real risk comes from a vehicle that is believed to be stationary.

In these streets, sidewalks effectively turn into parking areas. Drivers or passengers exiting their vehicles often open doors without fully accounting for cars passing closely beside them. The underlying assumption is simple:

“If the car is not moving, there is no risk.”

In reality, the moment a door opens is one of the most frequent points of contact in narrow parking streets. In most cases, there is no speed involved. There is no braking. There is no sudden maneuver.

There is only contact.

Because these incidents appear minor, reporting is often delayed. Photos are not taken. Details become unclear. When a claim is eventually opened, one sentence is almost always shared by all parties involved:

“I was stationary.”

Micro-Heritage Note

Insurance records from residential areas dating back to the 1960s already show recurring minor contact incidents in narrow streets during door-opening moments. Even when vehicle numbers were significantly lower than today, the mismatch between street width and daily parking habits produced the same outcomes. Vehicles have changed over time, but the pattern of door-related damage in narrow parking streets has remained remarkably consistent.

This is not a situation unique to a single street. Similar behavior repeats across narrow parking streets regardless of location.