5 ms·

Bullshit. I'm Dutch, never heard of or exercised this "Dutch Reach" behaviour and I was not tested for it when getting my driver's license. Instead, you just lo

by juiced 10y ago

Bullshit. I'm Dutch, never heard of or exercised this "Dutch Reach" behaviour and I was not tested for it when getting my driver's license. Instead, you just look around and in your mirrors to see if other traffic is coming before blindly and like an asshole opening your door, it doesn't matter how you open the door after you became aware of what is going on around you. I call this behaviour the "Dutch Common Sense".

mvdwoord 10y ago
Second this. I learned to use mirrors and look over your shoulder as you open the door. Like you would if you were to take a left turn. Basic situational awareness.. This whole "Dutch reach" thing sounds more like something written for the internet points. As for the whole helmet thing, they do not make you more safe. Proper infrastructure makes you more safe. Unless you're riding downhill, racing or performing stunts. You don't wear kneepads when you walk down the street do you?
freshflowers 10y ago
No bullshit. I was taught this. It's standard practice. You may have just had a shitty instructor.
- misja111 10y ago
  Well I wasn't taught the 'Dutch Reach' either when I got my driving lessons. I also have never heard the term before and it certainly is not standard practice.
mettamage 10y ago
I learned a variation of the Dutch Reach in my driver's license test (tested in Haarlem, school teaching it Max120). He didn't give it a name or anything and seems like common sense and I think it's a better way than the Dutch Reach described in the article. When you open the door you grab the door handle -- the thing that opens the door -- with your right and plastic black handle -- the thing that gives you more 'grip' -- with your left. By doing this you have a lot more control on closing the door as well if you still happen to accidentally open it when you shouldn't have. I had to retract once, because it appeared I had a blindspot where I couldn't see a cyclist.
tremon 10y ago
The article mentions that: in NL we have no separate term for it, exactly because it is considered common sense. As for being taught: it was taught by both my driving instructors, in the sense that I was consistently told off for opening my door using the wrong hand, even if I was very careful to check my mirrors and side. I wasn't asked to perform this feat on my driving test, but they don't need to be explicit: it's fairly challenging to exit the vehicle without opening the door.
mrweasel 10y ago
Even if we just ignore the Netherlands, bike riders aren't being doored left and right in Denmark either. Sure "The Dutch Reach" is a clever trick to get people to look out for bike traffic, but really it's just common sense. Like in the Netherlands, bike lanes in Denmark are mostly placed between the road and the side walk, so by not looking out for trafic you risk getting your door torn of by an SUV, rather than hitting a bike.
c3833174 10y ago
This, I was only taught that looking over the shoulder is preferred to mirrors but not much else.
davedx 10y ago
I passed my driving exam in NL a couple of years ago, and I was taught to open my door this way. There was nothing about it being to protect cyclists in particular, though.
angryredblock 10y ago
Yeh, as an American driver I don't know how people open their doors in the city WITHOUT looking first. In rural areas where bikers ride on the sidewalk and are not super common, sure, but I can't remember a time driving in a city where I was NOT super paranoid about hitting a car or a cyclist or a pedestrian with my door.
- 67726e 10y ago
  I think with the influx of people moving into urban zones, you get a lot of the suburban "biking is for hippies, so who cares?" mentality. I moved into a city five years ago, and while I quickly learned about dooring both as a driver and cyclist, I can't help but wonder how many people just don't realize that it's "a thing". Couple that with the hatred I often see towards cyclists, and I can pretty easily see how people either don't know or don't care to look before opening a car door.
rdeboo 10y ago
I (also Dutch) also have never heard about this practice of using your right hand to open the left door. It's an interesting idea, but certainly not common practice. I have never in my entire life seen anyone open their door like that. People just know that you must start looking backwards first and then open the door slowly.
nthcolumn 10y ago
No apparently people teach that you open the door, stick your face out in front of the oncoming bike instead. Or try squint past the door pillar and the headrest? I really like my door not to have dents, scratches and blood all over it (especially mine) so I look in the already-optimally-positioned mirror on the outside of the door where my hand goes to check if there is some other vehicle coming first before I open the door. And I am not even Dutch.
refurb 10y ago
Awww... you're ruining a cute internet story I could share with people that perfectly explains everything! :'(
jvannistelrooy 10y ago
Saying that you're Dutch and have never heard of this behavior is hardly evidence that the other 16 million Dutchies haven't heard of it.
barrystaes 10y ago
Not bullshit: i also am dutch and my driving instructor taught me this right hand and look over shoulder technique. But i agree with parent comment otherwise: our solution to being "Doored" is more about common sense using the mirror (its there for a reason) and looking around, and not what hand we use. Its a helpful aid maybe. After reading this on HN i noticed i do tend to use BOTH hands.. left on the big grip and right on the handle-button. I think using both hands here is important as this is what allows you to retract the door, as other comments pointed out.

by juiced 10y ago

mvdwoord 10y ago

Second this. I learned to use mirrors and look over your shoulder as you open the door. Like you would if you were to take a left turn. Basic situational awareness.. This whole "Dutch reach" thing sounds more like something written for the internet points. As for the whole helmet thing, they do not make you more safe. Proper infrastructure makes you more safe. Unless you're riding downhill, racing or performing stunts. You don't wear kneepads when you walk down the street do you?

freshflowers 10y ago

No bullshit. I was taught this. It's standard practice. You may have just had a shitty instructor.

misja111 10y ago
Well I wasn't taught the 'Dutch Reach' either when I got my driving lessons. I also have never heard the term before and it certainly is not standard practice.

mettamage 10y ago

I learned a variation of the Dutch Reach in my driver's license test (tested in Haarlem, school teaching it Max120). He didn't give it a name or anything and seems like common sense and I think it's a better way than the Dutch Reach described in the article. When you open the door you grab the door handle -- the thing that opens the door -- with your right and plastic black handle -- the thing that gives you more 'grip' -- with your left. By doing this you have a lot more control on closing the door as well if you still happen to accidentally open it when you shouldn't have. I had to retract once, because it appeared I had a blindspot where I couldn't see a cyclist.

tremon 10y ago

The article mentions that: in NL we have no separate term for it, exactly because it is considered common sense. As for being taught: it was taught by both my driving instructors, in the sense that I was consistently told off for opening my door using the wrong hand, even if I was very careful to check my mirrors and side. I wasn't asked to perform this feat on my driving test, but they don't need to be explicit: it's fairly challenging to exit the vehicle without opening the door.

mrweasel 10y ago

Even if we just ignore the Netherlands, bike riders aren't being doored left and right in Denmark either. Sure "The Dutch Reach" is a clever trick to get people to look out for bike traffic, but really it's just common sense. Like in the Netherlands, bike lanes in Denmark are mostly placed between the road and the side walk, so by not looking out for trafic you risk getting your door torn of by an SUV, rather than hitting a bike.

c3833174 10y ago

This, I was only taught that looking over the shoulder is preferred to mirrors but not much else.

davedx 10y ago

I passed my driving exam in NL a couple of years ago, and I was taught to open my door this way. There was nothing about it being to protect cyclists in particular, though.

angryredblock 10y ago

Yeh, as an American driver I don't know how people open their doors in the city WITHOUT looking first. In rural areas where bikers ride on the sidewalk and are not super common, sure, but I can't remember a time driving in a city where I was NOT super paranoid about hitting a car or a cyclist or a pedestrian with my door.

67726e 10y ago
I think with the influx of people moving into urban zones, you get a lot of the suburban "biking is for hippies, so who cares?" mentality. I moved into a city five years ago, and while I quickly learned about dooring both as a driver and cyclist, I can't help but wonder how many people just don't realize that it's "a thing". Couple that with the hatred I often see towards cyclists, and I can pretty easily see how people either don't know or don't care to look before opening a car door.

rdeboo 10y ago

I (also Dutch) also have never heard about this practice of using your right hand to open the left door. It's an interesting idea, but certainly not common practice. I have never in my entire life seen anyone open their door like that. People just know that you must start looking backwards first and then open the door slowly.

nthcolumn 10y ago

No apparently people teach that you open the door, stick your face out in front of the oncoming bike instead. Or try squint past the door pillar and the headrest? I really like my door not to have dents, scratches and blood all over it (especially mine) so I look in the already-optimally-positioned mirror on the outside of the door where my hand goes to check if there is some other vehicle coming first before I open the door. And I am not even Dutch.

refurb 10y ago

Awww... you're ruining a cute internet story I could share with people that perfectly explains everything! :'(

jvannistelrooy 10y ago

Saying that you're Dutch and have never heard of this behavior is hardly evidence that the other 16 million Dutchies haven't heard of it.

barrystaes 10y ago

Not bullshit: i also am dutch and my driving instructor taught me this right hand and look over shoulder technique. But i agree with parent comment otherwise: our solution to being "Doored" is more about common sense using the mirror (its there for a reason) and looking around, and not what hand we use. Its a helpful aid maybe. After reading this on HN i noticed i do tend to use BOTH hands.. left on the big grip and right on the handle-button. I think using both hands here is important as this is what allows you to retract the door, as other comments pointed out.