The Dutch Reach is a safety technique for motorists that’s been in use in the Netherlands since at least the 1970s. Its aim is to stop cyclists (and pedestrians) from being hit by car doors as they pass parked cars. The method involves opening the car door from the inside with the hand furthest from the handle.
Why is it called a Dutch Reach?
Named for its origin in one of the world’s most cyclist-friendly nations, the “Dutch Reach” refers to a method of opening your car door using the hand furthest from the door.
Is the Dutch Reach law in the UK?
A method known as the “Dutch reach” is to be introduced to the Highway Code in the UK after years of campaigning. The practice is used widely across Europe and encourages people to open vehicle doors with their opposite hand to avoid injuries to passing cyclists.
What is the Dutch Reach ‘?
The Dutch Reach is a practice for drivers and passengers where, rather than using your hand closest to the door to open it, you use your far hand1. This choice sets off a series of five linked actions: reach, swivel, look back, open slowly, and then exit facing traffic.
Is the Dutch Reach legal?
It is already an offence to open a car door, or cause or permit it to be opened, so as to cause injury, punishable by a maximum fine of £1,000. It is not a new law and drivers who do not use the Dutch Reach technique will not be fined, unless they commit the aforementioned existing offence.
Is Dutch Reach a legal requirement?
A change to British road rules will now require motorists to adopt the “Dutch Reach” technique when opening doors, to protect people riding bikes.
Who invented the Dutch reach?
It was coined in 2016 by retired physician Michael Charney of Cambridge, Mass. He launched dutchreach.org to popularize the car-door-opening technique after he learned of the nearby death by dooring of a 27-year-old nursing student.
What is the Dutch method in driving?
An overtaking vehicle prevents cyclist from takng the lane just as he approaches a parked car. Fearing a close pass or worse, cyclist was confined to the doorzone. Note white striped sleeve as driver’s right hand reaches across his body for the door latch – a ‘Dutch reach’.
What is the Far hand reach?
The far hand reach stops drivers and passengers from opening a vehicle door in front of an oncoming cyclist, pedestrian or vehicle. It involves the driver or passenger inside a vehicle using their far hand — the hand furthest from the door — to open the door to exit.
Is it illegal to open your car door with your right hand?
The new Highway Code section under rule 239 will read: ‘Where you are able to do so, you should open the door using your hand on the opposite side to the door you are opening; for example, use your left hand to open a door on your right-hand side.
Do I have to open car door with left hand?
If you’re sitting in the right-hand side of the vehicle – the driver’s side – you would use your left hand to open the car. Or if you’re a passenger sitting in the left-hand side of the car, you’d have to reach over with your right hand.
What hand do you open car door with?
All it takes is opening your car door with your right hand. This tip comes to us from the Netherlands, which is why it’s known as the “Dutch Reach.” If you are sitting on the driver’s side of a parked car and you want to get out, don’t open the door with your left hand (even though it’s closest to the door).
Is dooring a cyclist an Offence?
Before opening a car door, motorists and passengers must check to make sure that they are not opening it to oncoming traffic, including oncoming cyclists. In most cases, the person who opened the door is liable if he or she doors a cyclist.
What is dooring a cyclist?
Dooring is the act of opening a motor vehicle door into the path of another road user. Dooring can happen when a driver has parked or stopped to exit their vehicle, or when passengers egress from cars, taxis and rideshares into the path of a cyclist in an adjacent travel lane.
Which country were the Dutch belong to?
Over time, English-speaking people used the word Dutch to describe people from both the Netherlands and Germany, and now just the Netherlands today. (At that point in time, in the early 1500s, the Netherlands and parts of Germany, along with Belgium and Luxembourg, were all part of the Holy Roman Empire.)
Is the Highway Code actual law?
According to the RAC, the Highway Code itself is not a legal document and the rules outlined in it are not official road laws. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be fined if you break one of the 307 regulations set out in the Government-issued book.
Who fault is it when someone opens a car door UK?
In most cases, the person who opened the car door that was hit by another vehicle is deemed at fault for causing the collision because it was their responsibility to check the mirrors before opening the door. However, there are exceptions to the general rule.
Is the Highway Code law?
Is the Highway Code actually law? No, taken alone the Highway Code is not the law. But many of its instructions are backed up by law and so have legal muscle behind them. Those points supported by the law are clearly identified in the document by wording like ‘MUST’, ‘MUST NOT’, rather than ‘should’ or ‘should not’.
