CAA pushes the ‘Dutch Reach’ in annual share the road campaign
Posted May 7, 2018 09:49:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The CAA has launched their annual “Share the Road” campaign, focused on a particular way for drivers to open their doors.
The association is urging drivers to use the 'Dutch Reach' technique, to avoid hitting oncoming cycling traffic when exiting their vehicles.
“We're so used to opening the door with our hand closest to the door,” said Assistant Vice President of Community Relations with CAA, Teresa Di Felice. “The Dutch Reach is actually suggesting that you open the door with the opposite hand. So, if you're a driver, it would be your right hand.”
The idea behind this technique is that it forces drivers to face oncoming traffic as they open their doors.
In the Netherlands, this is the 'normal' way to open a car door and collisions in that country involving cyclists are at all-time lows, despite cycling being their most popular mode of transportation.
The CAA said dooring collisions were up by 58% in 2016 compared to the stats from two years prior.
