#cycling #lookbike

#cycling #lookbike

rare avis​ spotted this simple fix for dooring cyclists. I know I'm going to be trying to make it a habit!

Originally shared by rare avis



Going Dutch: A Strategy To Save Cyclists, And Your Car


The phenomenon of bikers getting hit by an opening car door is so common it has its own term: dooring.

According to a study in Chicago, as many as 1 in 5 bicycle accidents involve car doors – in total, there is an average of nearly one dooring per day in the Windy City. Even when bikers swerve to avoid doors, they can end up getting hit by cars.

For decades now in the Netherlands drivers have been trained (and tested for their licenses) on a behavior that dramatically reduces the risk of doorings.

They do not even have a name for it because it is simply how one opens a car door. Basically, instead of using their door-side (left) arm, they reach over with their other (right) arm. This simple behavioral shift causes drivers to look back naturally and see whether or not there are oncoming bicyclists.

When doctor Charney discovered that the Dutch have a solution to this problem, he became intrigued and ultimately started raising awareness of it in the United States.


The Dutch Reach

“The Dutch Reach is a practice where instead of using your near hand — usually the driver’s left hand — to open your car door, you use your far hand. Your right hand,” Charney told The World. “In doing that, you automatically swivel your body. And you position your head and shoulders so you are looking directly out. First, past the rearview mirror. And then, you are very easily able to look back and see if there are oncoming bicycles or cars or whatever.”
http://99percentinvisible.org/article/dutch-reach-clever-workaround-keep-cyclists-getting-doored/

Comments

  1. Not just the Dutch. That's what I was taught in driving school too, 20 years ago.

    ReplyDelete

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