Overall, automatic doors have a good safety record. Accidents are rare. But when they do happen, they can be very violent. One accident was caught on tape by a security camera at a Las Vegas casino. A woman walking into the casino was hit by the sliding door and thrown to the ground.
Hard numbers are difficult to come by.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there are hundreds, perhaps several thousand, of these accidents every year. Those most at risk are elderly people and individuals with mobility problems. CBS News hired safety consultant Lanny Berke to show how it can happen. Most people will move through that doorway in a second and a half. That can be enough force to knock down an elderly shopper.