The 'Dutch Reach' isn't universally taught drivers in the Netherlands, I'm Dutch and I've never heard of it before. Though everyone is taught about the dangers of opening your car door without looking.<p>What's keeping cycling deaths low in the Netherlands is simply keeping cyclists off the road and putting them on separate bicycle paths.<p>The article links to an article with this video: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2016/dec/15/transport-secretary-chris-grayling-knocks-over-cyclist-as-he-opens-his-car-door-video" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2016/dec/15/trans...</a><p>The traffic situation for cyclists in that video is what we would refer to here as a death trap. It's a busy road with not even a bicycle lane marked on the road. In the Netherlands you would either get off your bike and walk or risk a fine and cycle on the sidewalk.
Dooring, while dangerous, is a small percentage of the risk on the roads.<p>The most effective change would be to have a 3-5 foot (1-1.5m) passing rule. If it's not safe to go into the next lane to pass a cyclist, it's not safe to pass the cyclist at all.<p>(edit: and, if we're going to do the work to make people realize that they could be safer, make sure you're all the way past the cyclist before you pull in or turn right (left in the UK). Many motorists get their head past the cyclist and neglect the back half of their car, or the trailer they're towing)
This has been in and out of the news the past few years. Each time the Dutch, including me, feel obliged to respond that no dutchy opens his/her doors like that. We have mirrors, we use them. If we have fewer accidents it must be because we have a lot of bicycle lanes and our cyclists (every Dutchy) is a master evader by years of training in what we call large cities.<p>Dutchy out.<p>Drops mic.<p>Cycles away.
I've lived and driven in the Netherlands for five years, and until now I never heard of this. Neither have I observed Dutch drivers doing it. Not saying it isn't true, but...
Even more dangerous to cyclists are the cyclists themselves.<p>At least in Amsterdam there is something called "Amsterdam Red" meaning: red does not neccesarily mean stop to cyclists.<p>When a car/truck is parked on the cycle lane they will happily move to the car lane without looking...<p>Helmets. They are not mandatory, and nobody uses them.<p>So yes, drivers need to look, but cyclists might want to start following rules and best practices as well.
Seems like a great solution. Unfortunately I don't see it working here in Toronto, the cabbies don't even follow the basic rules of the road, they can't be expected to make a pro-social effort of this sort.<p>It is encouraging that so few deaths have resulted from dooring though. Ever slightly over one per year, not to downplay the seriousness of any loss of life, seems very reasonable.
The door handle of the Mini Cooper affords doing the Dutch Reach.<p>It is a circle with a shelf that faces forward in a way that makes it awkward to use the hand nearest the door to open. So, you reach across your body with your other hand and in doing so, you turn your body and head and your peripheral vision can catch a moving cyclist.
I am Dutch and learned to open the door this way. But judging the comments of other Dutch people, it seems it is not universally taught.
I am puzzled why it would be offensive to call it the Dutch reach. I see it as a compliment.
Won't stick with Angelenos. They'll continue to kick their car doors open w/o a thought as to whether bike or car is barreling down towards them.
As a Dutch person the 'Dutch reach' is offensive. No one I know opens doors this way. We don't need some 'trick' to remind ourselves not to be assholes.<p>Just look before you open the door.
Wow, when I rode road bikes, the onus on avoiding suddenly opening car doors was on me. If bike riders won’t pay attention to avoid car doors, expecting drivers to is a fools errand.