"It helps prevent a potentially deadly mistake known as “dooring,” in which bicyclists are struck by a car door that’s flung into their path. After making the Dutch Reach, drivers continue with care, slowly opening the door just a little at a time while looking for cyclists. The whole process eliminates the dangerous door-flinging that causes dooring accidents and biker injuries."
I'd love to see such a simple campaign pushed here in the states. Cycling infrastructure is far from standardized in the US, of course, but it would be a great habit to make bigger city drivers aware of.
by mediumclay
7 Comments
I was taught in drivers education class (40yrs ago) to open the driver door with my right hand, it forces you to look in mirror and over your shoulder
Not related to the Dutch reach around.
Just keep 1,2m (4ft) distance to parked cars. Ignore painted bike gutters if they’re too close to parked cars.
If you ride in the dooring zone it’s only a matter of time before you take a door to the face.
Does it have something to do with the dutch rudder?
i live in the netherlands and honestly i didn’t even know this had a name until i moved here haha. it’s just how everyone opens their car door. they teach it in driving lessons and it’s so automatic that people don’t even think about it.
what’s wild is that even with the dutch reach being standard here, dooring still happens occasionally because not everyone follows it. but the combination of the reach + dedicated bike lanes that are physically separated from car traffic + the fact that literally everyone here also cycles makes it way less of an issue than in places where drivers never think about bikes at all.
the real magic honestly isn’t just the technique itself, it’s that dutch people grow up cycling from like age 4 so even when they’re driving they have this awareness of “oh right, there might be a cyclist next to me.” that empathy is hard to teach through a campaign alone but the dutch reach is definitely a good start
Absolutely ought to be commonplace awareness for all drivers. But also STOP PUTTING BIKE LANES IN THE DOOR ZONE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Can a standard midwestern American reach the door with their right hand?