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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. Just l
by nightcracker 9y ago
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.
Just look before you open the door.
- Symbiote 9y agoDon't you teach your children to open the door safely? Or people that aren't often in a car? On my first day in Denmark,tThe taxi driver who picked me up at Copenhagen Airport reminded me to look for bikes before I opened the door. The director at my new job here, who drove me home on my first day, told me to open the door this way. So, although I'm not Danish, I doubt calling it the "Danish rearch" would offend any Danes.
- nightcracker 9y agoThe key point is that the 'Dutch reach' is supposedly a specific technique (opening the door with the 'wrong' hand) that we teach, which prevents accidents. But in reality this doesn't exist. No one uses it. We all learn to just look, and not through some trick. And we have other reasons (e.g. better street design) so our country is more cyclist friendly, but those are ignored in lieu of some silly trick that doesn't exist and isn't needed.
- breakingcups 9y agoI was taught this trick when getting my license. I rarely use it though. Like you say, we prefer to jus pay attention to other road users :) It helps that we have cycling lanes and what not.
- Vinnl 9y agoAs a Dutch person who doesn't have/need a driver's license, I just learned to look before opening the door. That said, being offended by the name is a rather ridiculous response. (Especially considering the terms we're usually flattered with, such as "going Dutch", a "Dutch oven", etc.)
- nightcracker 9y agoMaybe offensive is the wrong word. "It bothers me a bit" is more accurate.