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UK Drivers Asked to Use The Dutch Reach to Open Car Doors, Check For Cyclists

Britain is taking leaps to help protect cyclists on the road, and it is doing so by making an important modification to the current version of the Highway Code.
The Dutch Reach is a method used to open the car door, while checking for traffic and cyclists 11 photos
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In the next printed edition of the Code, drivers will be asked to use The Dutch Reach to open their car doors, The Guardian reports. The method implies using the hand farthest to the door to open it, because this forces the driver to look over his or her shoulder and onto the street. This way, the driver can open the door and check for oncoming cyclists or even pedestrians, all at once.

The move comes after a review on cyclist safety from the UK Department of Transport (DfT); “dooring” is still the main cause of death in many cyclist accidents yearly. It also comes on the heels of a 2016 incident when transport secretary Chris Grayling car doored a cyclist with his work car outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.

The next printed revision of the Highway Code will introduce British motorists to the so-called “Dutch Reach,” a method of opening a car door with the hand furthest from the handle, forcing drivers and passengers to check over their shoulders for approaching traffic.

Proving that the issue is one of importance, car dooring is a criminal offense in the country, with fines of up to £1,000.

“Britain has some of the safest roads in the world, but we need them to be safer still – and particularly for cyclists [and] pedestrians,” roads minister Jesse Norman says in a statement regarding the new addition to the Code.

“Cycling and walking are increasingly being understood as crucial parts of an integrated approach to issues of health, obesity, air quality and town and city planning. But this will only happen if people feel safe on the roads,” Norman adds.

That can’t happen if drivers don’t take better care before opening their car doors when they’re parked.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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