Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask you to try a Dutch reach when opening the car door?

100 replies

LikeDylanInTheMovies · 31/10/2016 11:41

Another weekend bike ride and a near miss because a driver flung open a door without looking. Normally I try and give a door's width gap, but this isn't always practical on narrow streets with cars either side.

The number of people who fling open a door without checking for a cyclist is scary. I can't do more to make myself visible. Flashing light front and rear hi-viz in daytime and reflective material for night riding. I've come to the conclusion that it is a case of people not looking rather than failing to see me.

On getting back home I discovered the 'Dutch Reach' taught by Dutch driving instructors. You open the car door using the hand furthest away from the handle. In doing so you twist you body slightly and into the line of vision of the wing mirror. I tried it this morning on my drive to work and it really works! I am usually hyper vigilant when it comes to cyclists when I'm out driving, but this is a really useful failsafe check and such an easy habit to get into.

Can I ask you all to give it a go?

OP posts:
thetemptationofchocolate · 31/10/2016 13:23

I think people register cars/vans in their mirrors better than cyclists. I've been a victim of this and ended up almost in the driver's lap. He got quite a surprise and an earful from me too.

Original poster
LikeDylanInTheMovies · 31/10/2016 13:27

it sounds a bit dirty, tbh ;)

If I said that in winter I sometimes wear a Flemish cap it doesn't get any better.

OP posts:
Jupiter2Mars · 31/10/2016 13:28

Aren't all road users supposed to pass parked vehicles giving a car door's width?
(And,yes, all car drivers are supposed to check their wing mirrors before opening the doors too. Both sides have a responsibility here )

TorchesTorches · 31/10/2016 13:31

My mum, in her car, took a guys door off his car when he flung the door open. He had just driven a long journey and didn't think. I was on the passenger side when it happened, so my side of the car went into his door. Idiot. No one was hurt, but i always check my mirrors!

Original poster
LikeDylanInTheMovies · 31/10/2016 13:34

Yes but sometimes it isn't possible in narrow roads with cars on either side ie most urban roads. Also cycle lanes are often right alongside rows of parked cars. So you takes your choice between fast moving traffic and impatient drivers or the risk of getting doored.

OP posts:
StrictlyPan · 31/10/2016 13:39

Yep, it's often a tricky choice. A lot of what we have to do to stay safe can look odd to a driver IF they have no experience of riding a bike in traffic.

idontlikealdi · 31/10/2016 13:41

It's not just cyclinst. Someone flung a car door open on DH and he ended up rpping their door off.

MuseumOfCurry · 31/10/2016 13:41

I've long since clocked the potential for cyclists whizzing by, but I will certainly try the Dutch reach from now on. Wink

TheLesserOfTwoWeevils · 31/10/2016 13:45

YANBU at all, but unfortunately if people can't be bothered to look before opening their doors anyway I'm not sure they would be convinced to change how they open their doors. People are assholes like that. Fwiw I'm not a cyclist but I always check my mirror and blind spot before opening my door. I hope I'm a considerate driver!

Helenluvsrob · 31/10/2016 13:55

Trouble is a blind spot is a blind spot. You need to check and check again so you minimise the risk of hitting a cyclist that has moved from blind spot to hitting your door in the second it takes to open it after checking.

Can I ask the cyclists here why the flashing LEDs ? THey are scaring me now. I've realised the flashing in the rear view is fine ( I have auto dim ) but seeing it straight on the flash blinds you if you are close and if it is down the street " was that a bike or not" was my main thought when it caught my peripheral vision , why not use old fashioned white at the front red at the back bike lights?

StrictlyPan · 31/10/2016 14:03

Lights.
The flashing light is much more obvious and eye-catching than a solid light, which can be mistaken for lots of other things. It's easier to guess distance with a solid light but the flashing draws your attention, and as a driver make adjustments to direction and speed.

I've never seen one, as a driver, that is so bright as to be "blinding", and from our vulnerable position, being seen is paramount.

shovetheholly · 31/10/2016 14:05

I do something kind of similar - I always, just out of habit, open the car door a tiny bit and then check in the mirror and over my shoulder before opening fully. I live on a street narrow enough that this is necessary as a precaution to protect the car. But as a cyclist, I also know how unnerving it can be that people just don't look.

GlitterNails · 02/11/2016 12:38

I totally get the need for cyclists to be seen, but I also have been blinded by some led flashing cyclists lights too which is just as dangerous.

Original poster
LikeDylanInTheMovies · 02/11/2016 12:41

Jesus ithose lights must have been the brightness of the sun if they are dazzling you or you have very sensitive eyes. Do you get blinded by the far more powerful emergency services flashing blue lights?

OP posts:
StrictlyPan · 02/11/2016 12:45

yes the "blinding" bike lights seem to be an MN-only phenomenon. There will be legally-enforced lumens limit, much in the same way as car headlights. I am pretty sure the lumens limit is set well below the "blinding" level.

I suspect we are mixing up "blinding" with 'for a second or two slightly distracting'.

SoupDragon · 02/11/2016 13:42

I gate the flashing lights as they can trigger a headache. I do understand why they have them though. I've seen a motorbike appear invisible once because their lights merged with those of the car behind them.

I've always wondered whether they are a risk for epileptics or do they flash at a safe frequency?

SoupDragon · 02/11/2016 13:44

I did try opening my cat door with the wrong hand the other day. It made bog all difference to what I saw in the mirror.

SoupDragon · 02/11/2016 14:20

Car door.

My cat does not have a door in it.

Original poster
LikeDylanInTheMovies · 02/11/2016 14:55

Soup There's a limit to the times they can flash a minute so I'd imagine within the safe limit for those with epilepsy. The brightness a bike light puts out is far less than a typical car headlight. About 100 lumens as opposed to 700 lumens from a typical single dipped car headlamp.

OP posts:
DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 02/11/2016 15:50

I tried this today- actually it didn't hurt my back and was easier than I thought BUT it didn't make any difference to what I could see at all.

SnugglySnerd · 02/11/2016 15:56

I always open the door a crack and check behind before opening fully, mainly as I don't want my door taken off by another vehicle. I can't believe more people don't do the same!

Neonoen · 02/11/2016 15:59

DD opened the passenger door and sent a cyclist flying. They were on the pavement though so I didn't feel too bad.

Bluntness100 · 02/11/2016 16:00

That's so not what I thought a 'Dutch reach' was going to be...

Original poster
LikeDylanInTheMovies · 02/11/2016 20:11

DD opened the passenger door and sent a cyclist flying. They were on the pavement though so I didn't feel too bad

Ha. Serves them right for cycling on the pavement. Adults (or anyone of secondary school age) riding on bikes on the pavement are a bloody menace.

OP posts:
StrictlyPan · 02/11/2016 21:42

Well no. Causing an injury to someone is never good. Riding on a pavement isn't a mitigation tbh.