[jayantvs]

On a lighter note, those who are complaining of the inconvenience of opening the door from the left hand, here is a more elaborate method in which the driver winds down the car window, before reaching out to open the door from the outside


Even in UK, a police proposal for drivers to adopt a body-contorting manoeuvre when getting out of a car has been ridiculed by motorists.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ridiculed.html

[dark.knight]

I have a different way of preventing such incidents and I guess my nature of being overly cautious has led to it.. its kind of sequential but I got used to it over time, I'll be labeling them as steps :

- Open the door lock with the right hand tiny finger and leave it ajar 1 inch.
- Unbuckle the seatbelt.
- Twist the body such that I can catch a view of the back, a slight push with the right shoulder and with the left hand and I'm out.

Of course I also use the side RVM and when the coast is clear I push and get out like a king. Technically the Dutch reach or any variation thereof is to get the person to see out the back.. most RVMs today are capable of giving accurate visual information. Its just that parking in India is always cumbersome and need some amount of circus acts what with the unscientific curbstones, mud puddles even when not raining, stones lying asunder and also jaywalkers galore who bump into cars even when they are parked.

The point is that door opening involves 2 stages, the unlock and the push.. and the latter part needs to be done after looking at the rear.. either by craning your neck, or by seeing the side RVM (I have it set to low view always).

[amitjha086]

I read the same information somewhere a couple of weeks ago, but they did not say that it has a a name viz the dutch reach for it. I realized how an action as simple as this could save lives. So far, I had been taking a glance in the mirror for a couple of seconds before opening the door. This maneuver appears more effective. Thank you for sharing.

[SmartCat]

I don't know. Mentioning which hand to use to open the door unnecessarily complicates things. Instructions (even to kids) should be simple -

1) Open the door slightly
2) Look around to see if there is somebody coming behind
3) Open the door fully and get out.

[no_boundaries]

Originally Posted by beingyukeit

It is very common to encounter cyclists/motorcyclists facing threats from car doors suddenly opening.

Very informative thread. Never ever knew about this nor has it ever occurred to me naturally.
I usually wait for all passengers to de-board the car. Before they do, I always guide them on when to open the door. Most passengers who travel with me usually wait for my cue or I make it clear to them to wait for my go ahead.

I'm going to practice this as this gives a better perspective than craning your neck and looking into the ORVM. This makes it harder especially if its a smaller ORVM or one of those magnified ORVMs that are sold in market as stock replacement.

Note : People with bad lower back, watch out on your twist and its long term implications.

[Dushyanth]

We live in an environment where to cross the road, looking right first is not the best idea always! This has happened to me many times and it surely would have happened to some of you as well.

I'm driving on a road, I decide to pull over to the left and so I look out for a spot and also keeping an eye out for traffic behind my vehicle through my left side ORVM so that I can safely pull over to the side of the road. Once I bring my vehicle to a halt, I do all the shut down procedures of my vehicle and as I look behind to find a window to open my door safely and as soon as I unlock and release the door there is a Biker or a Cyclist who is riding on the wrong side of the road and just zooms past my door from the oncoming side and just misses my door, and every time this happens I end up thinking-"Gosh! What would have happened if I had completely opened my door?"

I Totally agree with opening your doors with with the inside hand, but we even need to keep an eye on those who drive or ride on the wrong side of the road just as how I've mentioned above.

Generally I feel that looking into your Right side ORVM and simultaneously looking ahead for and wrong side road users would be more effective in our country.

[MS_Auto]

ORVMs are helpful when we talk about the front doors of a vehicle.
However, they do not help much in case you are talking about the rear doors of a vehicle.

Given this situation, following the Dutch reach makes sense.

Am sure this will be greatly helpful to the entire family.

After all, it is not only will add to the safety of the road users, it will also be beneficial for the overall wellbeing of the passengers of the vehicle.

[udainxs]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Good Idea.
But, there could be a catch. In order to properly visualize traffic from behind one would need to first lower the window, then crane the neck and peep outside the window & then open the door.

Isn't it simpler, if we look at the ORVM itself and see if no one is approaching, and then proceed to open the door (using whichever 'hand' we prefer).

Totally agree with you as well, but in a country where most ORVMs remain closed for fear of being broken, I think the original suggestion is a welcome one!

People just need to be more careful and aware, whether its using the ORVM or the other hand.

PS. I use the ORVM as you suggest

[krackr]

Originally Posted by beingyukeit

...Always open a car door from the furthest hand to it...
...This ensures that you are forced to turn your body to open the door thus allowing you to look over your shoulder. This glance will make you realise if there is a cyclist/motorcyclist/pedestrian about to pass by...

Never knew of this. Again, one of those simple life saving tips. Thanks! Have only used the ORVM till now.

[Dieselritzer]

Not sure if anyone mentioned it here, but in Japan, in a cab, you should not open any of the doors. The driver has a switch near him by which he can open any of the doors. This ensures that the driver is responsible to ensure he checks the surroundings before opening the doors.

[SHANKY11]

This makes a strong case for providing auto folding ORVMs in all cars.

In a car with electric folding manual ORVMs (where you press a button to fold them in), you have to do so before removing the key, hence one cannot use it while opening the door. In a car with auto folding ORVMs, they fold automatically when you lock the car (and vice versa) using the remote or door sensors. This way, the ORVM remains available for viewing behind while opening the door.

[karpusv]

Originally Posted by Dieselritzer

Not sure if anyone mentioned it here, but in Japan, in a cab, you should not open any of the doors. The driver has a switch near him by which he can open any of the doors. This ensures that the driver is responsible to ensure he checks the surroundings before opening the doors.

In addition, the Test for Japanese driver license includes checking the way you open the driver door.
My friend who wanted to obtain a DL in Japan for a 2 year period failed twice for ignoring this point.

The procedure after stopping the car is:
1. Grab the door with your right hand (not the opening lever)
2. Hold the opening lever with your left hand
3. Check for traffic and tug the lever
4. Reconfirm if road is clear and open the door

The reason for using both hands is if you find any approaching vehicle or passerby, you can still pull the door shut with your right hand.

[gkveda]

While many alternates are being discussed at global level, I think there is NO need to discuss all these alternates if the right rule is followed. This is my personal view. No offense to anyone

1. When the driver of the car is notified to stop the car for a reason that the passenger has to get down, he should be aware to park the car at the left most side of the road so that NO biker can cross the car from left side(In Indian Scenario)
2. All passengers should get down from the car from left doors of the Car only. If they have to get down from right doors(Including driver), they need to be completely cautious and aware they are getting down from wrong side. So, they need to be extra careful on observing whether it is safe to get down from right side.

Apart from these, all other alternates discussed, in my view, are only to supplement the above two rules(i.e., increasing the awareness/alertness of the passengers)

Additionally, it is the responsibility of the bikers as well, to keep a distance with a car that is parked.

[jinojohnt]

This reminds me of the American practice of leaving one shoe under the rear seat so that you do not forget to take your (baby-seated) kid from the back seat. What if you are the kind who forgets to wear one shoe to office LOL. If you cannot remember to look back before opening the door, how is 'using the other hand for opening' going to help?

[dragonov007]

Great thread! Thanks for bringing this up. This issue is apparently a trivial one for many, but given our super-busy roads and complete lack of road discipline, the ‘check before you open the door’ is all the more important in the Indian context.

Unexpected sudden opening of car doors are a menace, and also what I have noticed in my city is that the chewing of gutkha contributes exponentially to this behaviour. The Radio cab drivers are particularly notorious in this aspect. The old yellow taxis were non-AC and the drivers used to paint the roads with their abstract art by spitting from the open windows. But now in their AC cocoons, the savvy drivers somehow find it much easier to open the door suddenly when standing at signals, parking spots or anywhere else and proceed doing their high-art.

As for me, I always do the following while opening the door when I am in the Jungle-

1.Check ORVMs
2.Do a shoulder check
3.Open the door slightly ajar while twisting my body backwards.
4. Peek behind through the door as I slowly open it, while glancing once or twice towards the front too, to keep an eye for those super-intelligent humans trying to save 20 milliseconds of their precious time by driving/riding on the wrong side.

As for passengers, if they have no choice but to exit through the right hand side on a busy road, I prefer to get down and open the door for them, à-la a white-gloved chauffeur.