Transportation

The Life-Saving ‘Dutch Reach’ Comes to American Driver’s Ed

Starting in January, American traffic safety organizations like AAA will teach motorists how to better avoid hitting passing bicyclists with car doors.
Do look now: traffic safety experts say that drivers who open the car door with their right hand can save lives.Jim Mone/AP

For people who bike on city streets, moving cars are pretty scary: They stop short, swerve suddenly, and make right-hook turns at intersections. But parked cars pose a serious threat, too, because that’s how cyclists get doored.

There’s an extremely easy way for a driver to mitigate these dreaded encounters between car doors and passing bicyclists: Open the door with the right hand, rather than the left, which forces the driver to swivel around and give a quick rearwards glance into the traffic lane.