PSA: Open Your Car Door With the Opposite Hand

October 15, 2016 5:25 PM

Michael Charney is trying to get Americans to adopt what he calls the "Dutch reach" -- opening your car door with the opposite hand, which puts your head in a better position to see whether you're about to door a bicyclist. In the Netherlands, this is simply "how to open your car door", as it is taught as part of driver's training and is part of the licensing test.
posted by Etrigan (47 comments total)

Cool. But isn't looking in your side mirror before opening the door also taught? I mean, it's not only bicycles who maybe passing close by; another car could be as well.
posted by Thella at 5:32 PM on October 15, 2016 [3 favorites]

This is a small, great idea.
posted by escabeche at 5:38 PM on October 15, 2016 [6 favorites]

You're required to use your turn signals on the licensing test too. I wonder how popular this action actually is in the Netherlands.
posted by demiurge at 5:39 PM on October 15, 2016 [3 favorites]

While I have no objection to this practice, it's worth mentioning that the Netherlands invests in cycling infrastructure for real, and a third of their citizens use a bike day to day.
posted by mhoye at 5:44 PM on October 15, 2016 [14 favorites]

I was appalled/excited by this, because I assumed this was the way everyone got out of their car, but then realized of course not or people wouldn't be getting doored all the time. We need a PSA for proper side mirror adjustment too.
posted by BrotherCaine at 5:52 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]

Most of the places I park in LA I have to look behind anyway because the streets are narrow enough that an oncoming car could take off my door and/or me. I couldn't quite understand the issue until I saw the street in the picture has a bike lane. We mostly solve this by not having those :P (I think there may be some downtown, but I never encounter any day to day).
posted by thefoxgod at 5:52 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]

This is a terrific idea which I have never thought of and I hope I remember to use it. I probably won't though because I almost never park inline against a curb--most places I go have lots. Maybe I could try to park curbside a couple times this week and anchor it?
posted by bukvich at 6:05 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]

I can probably count on two hands the number of times in my life in which I've had to parallel park. So this is for city dwellers, right? But what kind of terrorist would own a car when they live in a city?
posted by indubitable at 6:20 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

Trained to do this in Young Drivers training in Canada, circa 1996. FYI
posted by some loser at 6:25 PM on October 15, 2016 [5 favorites]

This is a great thing!
posted by Oyéah at 6:31 PM on October 15, 2016

"Wait, why... oh, when you're getting out of the car. That makes more sense."

- Me, a minute ago.
posted by officer_fred at 6:32 PM on October 15, 2016 [38 favorites]

You'd have to get the average driver to give a fuck about bicyclists first. There's a reason why I almost only ever ride on trails and not on the street.
posted by octothorpe at 6:41 PM on October 15, 2016 [8 favorites]

Tell us which hand to use? They hate our freedom!
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:48 PM on October 15, 2016 [8 favorites]

Yes, please! I haven't been doored yet, and don't ever want to be. Thank you!
posted by sibilatorix at 7:01 PM on October 15, 2016 [3 favorites]

There is a very small percent of drivers that give a rat's shiny hiney about bicyclists or pedestrians, a larger percent who are pretty 'meh' and won't deliberately door someone or run them down, and the rest are voting for Trump.
posted by BlueHorse at 7:11 PM on October 15, 2016 [3 favorites]

I heard about this a few days ago and I keep meaning to see if I'm already doing it, because I can't imagine opening my car door without checking for cyclists and other cars, and I know I check the side mirrors and I think I also look over my shoulder, which would indicate that I'm using my opposite hand to open the door, but whatever I do is so habitual that I'm not sure what it is.

I did recently get yelled at while exiting the backseat of a car because the yelling driver thought I hadn't seen them and had opened my door into them -- except I had seen them, had specifically waited until they passed, and had opened the door only once there was a gap in traffic.
posted by lazuli at 7:12 PM on October 15, 2016

I have never understood how cyclists can get doored as often as they do. Like, ok, let's say you're a driver and have utter contempt for every person on a bike and dgaf if they get hit. You suck a lot, but ok. IT COULD BE ANOTHER CAR. ABOUT TO HIT AND KILL YOU. If you drive a car and don't check what you're opening your door into, not only are you being extremely careless with other people's lives, but you are so pants-shittingly dumb I have no words for you. Do you have NO sense of self preservation? How have you not been Darwin'd out of the gene pool by now?!

And also STOP HITTING MY FRIENDS ON BIKES FFS. GAHHHHHHHHH!!!
posted by phunniemee at 7:13 PM on October 15, 2016 [8 favorites]

Real simple way to learn this, park next to expensive cars with small children, you'll make sure nobody leaves the car without being very aware.
posted by Nanukthedog at 7:27 PM on October 15, 2016

i just do a thing called the "extra paranoid exit" where i leave from the passenger side of my car
posted by Gymnopedist at 7:46 PM on October 15, 2016 [6 favorites]

Just a couple of hours ago I was standing on the sidewalk outside the florist on Solano waiting for my wife and her Apa, who were inside buying an arrangement to give to the Virgen de Guadalupe at mass tomorrow, and I noticed a cyclist pedaling up toward the intersection with Colusa, which is narrow and complicated with street parking and driveways and weird lane jigjags. He's obviously an experienced rider, his bike looks fast and so do his calves and he looks strong and purposeful on the seat and over the bars. As he squeezes up to the light, a driver's side door pops open right in front of him. He dips hard left and just grazes the minivan in the lane there and scoots back right unscathed. At the light he does that experienced cyclist trick where they stay in the pedals and stand still with the front wheel cranked hard left or right and meanwhile the woman who almost doored him is out of the car and fussing with something in the trunk, so he circles back and approaches her with a smile and steps out of one of his pedals and settles down on to the bar and rests his forearms on the handlebars and exchanges a few words -- I imagine it's some friendly advice about looking out for cyclists. Everybody looks happy with one another, anyway. The light changes and the cyclist mounts back up and turns back up the hill, right behind that minivan -- which stops without warning, in the middle of traffic, as someone from the opposite sidewalk runs into the road, in front of the van, and hops into the back -- someone inside had opened the sliding door for the getaway move, which they do, the sliding door still open. Our cyclist has extricated himself from the minivan's reality and is angling right through the right lane back toward the bicycle lane when the Volvo station wagon in the right lane stops inexplicably, too. The cyclist stops fast and does a little bunny hop, twisting his back wheel to his left and then accelerating with a couple of quick turns of the crank into the bicycle lane and almost up even with the passenger side window of the Volvo, which then begins to turn right into the Wells Fargo parking lot and our cyclist before chirping to a halt as the cyclist zips ahead into relatively clear air between Colusa and The Alameda, which God knows, it can get messy up there.

It was a harrowing 45 seconds and all I was doing was standing on the sidewalk waiting for my wife and her Apa to buy flowers for the Virgen.
posted by notyou at 7:51 PM on October 15, 2016 [40 favorites]

I have never understood how cyclists can get doored as often as they do.

Oh man, I thought this comment was going to take a very different route after I read that first sentence. I now no longer have to write a pissy reply that, in this case literal, victim blaming would be so, so uncool here.

I'm going back to biking my kid to school next week but it's an easy commute/jaunt with zero risk of getting doored. Other risks exist, sure, but even those are minor compared to you troopers in the big cities. I salute y'all.

Thanks for this post, I'd never heard about this technique and I'll work towards implementing it, because why not.
posted by RolandOfEld at 8:07 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

As long as I look in the passenger mirror before I get out, I'm good, right? And who the heck doesn't check their mirrors before getting out of the car after parallel parking??
posted by skewed at 9:26 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]

In the Netherlands, this is simply "how to open your car door", as it is taught as part of driver's training and is part of the licensing test.

Not sure where this comes from, but it is not true: It is not part of drivers training or part of the licensing test.

We open the car door with whichever hand. We are simply aware there's an enourmous amount of cyclists on the road and are taught from a young age to check for cyclists before opening a car door. Besides, most likely every driver owns a bicycle themselves and is aware of the risks.
posted by charles kaapjes at 9:34 PM on October 15, 2016 [15 favorites]

Thirty-odd years ago I lost a friend.

He was cycling along the road perfectly correctly and safely when someone opened their car door without warning and batted him straight into the path of an oncoming lorry. This was before the days of widespread use of cycling helmets in the UK but in this case even that wouldn't have saved him.

He was fourteen years old.

If you don't want to learn the Dutch Reach, fine, but, if you haven't already, please learn not to be a dick about opening your car door. Always look first.

RIP, Marcel.
posted by motty at 9:53 PM on October 15, 2016 [32 favorites]

This is the second best advantage of owning an imported right hand drive vehicle. The first, of course, is driving around witb the dog in shotgun wearing sunglasses, watching the reactions of passing motorists.
posted by mannequito at 10:14 PM on October 15, 2016 [31 favorites]

Michael Charney is trying to get Americans to adopt what he calls the "Dutch reach"

Post needs a NNSFW tag.
posted by rokusan at 11:49 PM on October 15, 2016 [8 favorites]

You're required to use your turn signals on the licensing test too.

You mean... that isn't required in the US? Jesus fuck, remind me never to visit. As is, half my time on foot in the UK is spent screaming "sodding indicate you knob!!" at cars making unsignalled turns and nearly taking me out.
posted by Dysk at 12:12 AM on October 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

"Wait, why... oh, when you're getting out of the car. That makes more sense."

That was exactly my reaction.
I was picturing standing next to the driver's door, facing frontward, and than reaching with the left hand behind my back to open the door. All the while head perking up and looking around for bikes. "Yep, no bikes around that might hit me while I am getting into my car."

It even briefly made sense to me that that's called the "Dutch reach", because as everyone knows, the Netherlands are teeming with bikes that are just waiting to run over unsuspecting motorists.
posted by sour cream at 1:50 AM on October 16, 2016

You mean... that isn't required in the US?

Signals are definitely required but that rule is routinely ignored and as far as I've seen never enforced.
posted by octothorpe at 4:15 AM on October 16, 2016

Mod note: One deleted. You know that thing where there's something about bikes on Mefi, and then someone starts talking about, "hey, a lot of bikers are jerks / unsafe too!" and then it turns into another big fight like all the other times? Let's not. It's perfectly possible to talk about this safety technique without slagging on bikers.
posted by taz (staff) at 4:25 AM on October 16, 2016 [17 favorites]

Cycled from home to Yokohama and back today, 95% or more in traffic, and this was very much on my mind. I'd guess something like 25% of the distance covered was between a lane of parked cars and traffic with indifferent respect for cyclists.

As for mirrors: People look for cars/trucks. Things that will endanger their own good selves. Bikes are too often overlooked.

I've tried to impress on my son the importance of leaving room for doors, but he's more concerned about the traffic coming over his right shoulder.
posted by oheso at 4:44 AM on October 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

When I was a child one avoided this problem by sliding over to the right and getting out on that side. (Well, the problem one was avoiding was getting hit by another car -- nobody gave a shit about bicyclists then either.) I miss bench seats.
posted by JanetLand at 6:10 AM on October 16, 2016

You'd have to get the average driver to give a fuck about bicyclists first.

There is a $150 to $500 fine in Chicago for dooring a cyclist. The problem though is finding a police officer who cares enough to ticket a driver. Over and over there have been cases that demonstrate that Chicago police either don't even know the laws that they are supposed to enforce or are choosing not to enforce them.
posted by srboisvert at 6:18 AM on October 16, 2016 [4 favorites]

Not sure where this comes from, but it is not true: It is not part of drivers training or part of the licensing test.

I was taught this when I took my lessons and exam about 10 years ago near Leiden. See also Instappen en uitstappen in de (les)Auto.
posted by mirthe at 6:38 AM on October 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

There is a $150 to $500 fine in Chicago for dooring a cyclist.

And then there's the problem where even if it's enforced, it's a trivial penalty for something so incredibly lethal.

_{For those not aware, dooring is so dangerous not because of the impact with the door (potentially bad, but a lot of people have crashed their bikes that hard before); it's dangerous because what frequently happens is that the right handlebar hits the door, which twists the wheel to the right, which throws the rider left...directly into traffic.}
posted by Dr.Enormous at 7:10 AM on October 16, 2016 [7 favorites]

You mean... that isn't required in the US?

Signals are definitely required but that rule is routinely ignored and as far as I've seen never enforced.

Or people often use their signals incorrectly. I encounter numerous people who suddenly brake hard, then use their signal as they are in the turn.

ITS TOO LATE WHY DID YOU EVEN BOTHER
posted by Fleebnork at 7:13 AM on October 16, 2016 [4 favorites]

We need to change how we use the term "door." It shouldn't be a passive-voice term. One should not "get doored" while riding a bike. Somebody in a car doors somebody else.
posted by entropone at 7:52 AM on October 16, 2016 [4 favorites]

My son was doored when we were taking a test ride to his new middle school. He wasnt hurt, but now at 17 he hasn't touched a bike since. I have one block in my commute where i have to watch for doors. I call it Dickhead Alley.
posted by Brocktoon at 11:35 AM on October 16, 2016 [5 favorites]

Glad to see this getting more attention.

Los Angeles is adding more and more bike lanes, which is good. However, most of these "lanes" are little more than re-labeling of a the car-door-wide-gap that already exists on most streets between parked cars and the driving lane for cars. [I assume this is a common problem]

And because so few people bike in Los Angeles, few drivers have any consistent awareness that bicycles exist, yet alone personal experience to reinforce a heightened awareness for bicyclists.

What we really need are more dedicated bike lanes, like many found throughout Scandinavia.

Unfortunately, it's a bit of a catch-22. It's hard to justify the expense on infrastructure if you don't have riders. But it's not easy to grow the number of bicyclists when there's so little infrastructure, and what little does exist is so unsafe.

Hopefully the popularity of the many "dutch reach" posts of late is an indication of a pent up demand. Here's hoping. And thanks for sharing.
posted by Davenhill at 12:05 PM on October 16, 2016

For those not aware, dooring is so dangerous not because of the impact with the door (potentially bad, but a lot of people have crashed their bikes that hard before); it's dangerous because what frequently happens is that the right handlebar hits the door, which twists the wheel to the right, which throws the rider left...directly into traffic.

So instead of dodging, should I just try to crash head-on into the door? I suppose that might depend on my speed, and certainly on the traffic to my left, but the latter I probably don't have time to evaluate, and certainly not the status of traffic coming up behind me on the left. But I probably do have a second or so to either go left or stay straight, though choosing to stay straight would definitely be hard for the hindbrain.

(I suppose also the driver might exit in time for me to collide with them, which while regrettable, could cushion the blow; and from the ethical point of view, a la the autonomous-car stuff, it's probably ethically acceptable to collide into them rather than risk being thrown into traffic since they are the "cause" of the situation. But that's probably best left unexplored here since cycling ethics are controversial enough already!)
posted by chortly at 12:20 PM on October 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

The problem though is finding a police officer who cares enough to ticket a driver.

Yeah, I'm lucky enough that in all my years of cycling I've only been doored once. Sent me sprawling onto the asphalt, but no major injuries. The driver and passenger of the car hopped out, asked me if I was ok, then promptly got back in their car and drove off. That's a hit-and-run, but the cops I spoke to on the phone could not have given less of a shit, despite me having a partial plate.
posted by Panjandrum at 12:52 PM on October 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

I think in general conscientious drivers are people that walk or bike in addition to driving. I own a car but do most of my traveling either on foot or by public transportation, so when I do drive, I'm going the speed limit or slightly below, I'm always scanning intersections for pedestrians, when I make right turns I look behind my right shoulder for bikes, etc. Essentially I try and drive like I wish other people drove when I'm walking around town.

Too many people are cavalier about driving in cities--I wish we taught people that when you're driving in a city, you are the interloper, and you need to be respectful and remember that you are operating a heavy, dangerous machine that can kill people, and err on the side of caution, always.

I would also like a magic wand to wave away all the urban interstates, but that's a separate problem.
posted by Automocar at 1:01 PM on October 16, 2016 [3 favorites]

I was about 20 and starting to consider myself a cyclist- but this time I was driving. I was zoned out a bit after parking, and absent-mindedly started to open the door-

HEY!

I pulled back and slammed the door, as a bike whizzed past. "You didn't even look! You didn't even look!" She screamed at me.

"I'm sorry! I feebly called out after her, desperate to explain that I wasn't one of those drivers, that I was pro cyclist... but it was too late. She had already cycled away, and I was left with the horror of what I had nearly become.

I sometimes forget, but I try to look each time I open the door.
posted by freethefeet at 2:10 PM on October 16, 2016

Strict liability in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the implied onus is on the larger vehicle in a car-bike collision, within reason, with exceptions. Unlike Toronto, where the cars have won The War on Cars, and the mayor sleeps in peace.
posted by ovvl at 3:22 PM on October 16, 2016

I'm in the UK and I've ALWAYS looked in the wing mirror before opening the door.
Not because of or just for cyclists though. If I am on the kerb side it is for pedestrians and on the driver's side for any other vehicle.
posted by Burn_IT at 3:32 PM on October 16, 2016

I've known about this technique for a while and I'm glad to see it get some coverage lately. But - and this is the cynical cyclist in me, I guess - if it were to become widespread I envision drivers everywhere opening their door with their right hand and getting out of their car... with their eyes glued to their phone the whole time.
posted by misskaz at 7:38 AM on October 17, 2016 [2 favorites]

After a week of not using Dutch Reach although it takes no physical effort and nearly no mental effort to learn how to do it I made myself a 4" X 6" yellow index card with 1" tall capital letters DUTCH REACH and I am going to set it on my console under where I set my keys-that-are-not-the-car-key ring and maybe that will work.
posted by bukvich at 7:31 AM on October 23, 2016