Urban cyclists encounter many dangers : course - clogging pedestrians and rash drivers are among the most obvious , but bikers also face an under - the - radar route risk called “ dooring”—the hit that leave when a parked number one wood opens their car door into an oncoming pedaller ’s path .
Most statesdon’t racetrack dooring chance event , so it ’s hard to see just how often they come about . However , Grid Chicagoanalyzed Illinois Department of Transportation data from 2011 , and feel that one in five cycle crashes in Chicago were make by dooring that class .
To prevent dooring accidents , The Telegraphreportsthat drivers in the Netherlands trust on a childlike praxis that ’s been dubbed the “ Dutch orbit " : After parking , they attain for their car door ’s handgrip using their correct branch instead of their left one , even though the latter is close to the door . This method push the driver to pivot their bodies so they look over their shoulders , allow them to notice incoming bikers on the street .
minor in the Netherlands learn this habit from their teachers and parents , and it ’s even included on their driving tests . Now , the practice is starting to take hold of on in the U.S. , thanks in part to outspoken evangelists likeMichael Charney . Charney , a physician from Cambridge , Massachusetts , founded a site calleddutchreach.orgafter a local woman named Amanda Phillips was kill in a dooring chance event . It provides resourcefulness about cycling safety , and suggest ways to kick upstairs the Dutch Reach . Meanwhile , protagonism radical like theSan Francisco Bicycle Coalitionare also spreading the discussion .
Some U.S. city , likeMinneapolis , are starting to build protected track for wheel - loving commuters . But in most places , designate paths for wheeler are fix in a “ door zone , ” a.k.a . the buffer zone between parked car and the primary road . Until more cities invest in infrastructure changes to keep bikers safe , U.S. driver can deliver lives by adjusting their habits .
Master the Dutch Reach by watching the tutorial below , courtesy ofOutsidemagazine .
