The "Dutch Reach" is a Sham
This is a follow up to the piece about the dooring of professional cyclist Remco Evenepoel.
Remco Evenepoel's Dooring
There is an entire section of this Substack dedicated to doorings, along with excellent articles over on Cycling Savvy from Paul Schimek and John Schubert. Asking cyclists in person or looking around on the various websites indicates nearly every cyclist has at least had a close call with a dooring or knows someone who has. They’re a crash type dreaded by all on-road cyclists but are completely and one hundred percent preventable by the cyclist his or herself by simply staying 100% of the time out of the “door zone,” which is at least four or five feet away from the edge of parked or stopped cars. This advice is regardless of whether there is a designated bicycle lane, which when located in door zones are traffic engineering atrocities.
None of this though excuses the motorist from looking before opening their door. In most jurisdictions this too is illegal with ticketing and fines administered to the driver.
One “solution” being pushed over and over again is the so-called Dutch Reach, allegedly a technique taught to Dutch motorists although there are doubts this is true. The Dutch Reach requires the driver open the door with his or her opposite hand which is supposed to force their upper body to twist towards the opening door resulting in them lookin at both their mirror and through their side window. The Dutch Reach is supposed to be taught soon in driving education courses in the Belgian capital where an estimated 15% of car-bike crashes are doorings. It would not be a surprise if it was also taught to bPost drivers.
The Dutch Reach has been promoted or endorsed by virtually every “bicycling organization” out there, is often in driving education manuals, and is promoted by magazines toxic bird cage liners such as Outhouse.
Outhouse’s video demonstrates the technique.
But the Dutch Reach has many problems - first of all its promoters neglect the fact there are other crash types that can occur in the door zone, which is a subset of edge riding.
Those crash types include close passes, right hooks, left crosses, pull outs, walk outs, and drive outs. This images shows a road with a door zone bike lane, a traffic engineering atrocity, but the principles are the same without one present.
The technique itself also doesn’t work the same way for all drivers - some do twist their torso and look, others simply cross their arm across their body to reach for the door latch. The technique also seldom if ever addresses other motor vehicle occupants such as passengers in the front, who do have a mirror, or passengers in the back who don’t. It also ignores the presence of poorly adjusted mirrors, headrests, and the visual obstructions caused by the vehicles pillars and roof.
In some vehicles, even those who do perform the Dutch Reach “correctly” might not actually see a cyclist coming from behind.
Lastly the Dutch Reach promotes the typical oppressor/victim mentality that’s taken bicycling advocacy by storm via Platitude-driven activists and Cluster B(ike) activists who view “drivers” (motorists) as oppressors and “people on bicycles” (cyclists) as eternal noble victims. The Dutch Reach pins all the responsibility on the “oppressor” and none on the “victim.” It does not empower the “victims” to take control over their own situation instead promoting Bicyclist Inferiority.
John Allen says it best below but his entire blog post decimating the Dutch Reach is worth a read.
Bicyclists who rely on the Dutch Reach are defining themselves as helpless victims, expecting the same motorists they fear to take all of the responsibility for their safety. Self-definition as a victim prevents bicyclists from understanding that they can take actions to improve their own safety.
Dutch Reach promoters seem seldom to live in reality and won’t face these facts remaining a road block to sensible and principled bicycling safety.
I'm convinced that the problem is in the name. "Dutch Reach" reminds people of that cute exchange student from Rotterdam, at the party after the prom. The name is so cute that no one wants to hear the concept is garbage.
"The bicyclist will be coming from behind you. Do you look behind you (with a mirror), or look to the side" There! That doesn't sound so sexy.
The last two photos you used were ones I took (on Bluegrass Trail, Coopersburg PA). You are welcome to them. I should start embedding photo credits in my images.