Millions of cars run on public roads around the world every day. What do we do to access the vehicle and get inside or outside it? Open the door right? Well, it may sound like a simple mechanism that we do every day without thinking about it much. What if we tell you that you have been doing it wrong all your life! Yes. You read that right. Car doors prove to be hazardous if not done properly, it can be highly dangerous.
Opening the car door may seem like a simple job. However, if the door is opened suddenly without checking for other vehicles and pedestrian movement behind the vehicle, it can be highly dangerous. Car doors take up a lot of space when they open up and people coming from behind may just run into the door, which can cause injuries and it can even turn out to be fatal.
If you use any video sharing platform like YouTube, you will be able to find hundreds of such videos where people run into the car doors that are flung open suddenly. The incidents are not limited to India, where most traffic rules are regularly flouted but this happens around the world and there are CCTV recordings of the same. The CCTV footage posted above shows a car parked on the shoulder of a busy road. When the driver opens the road, a cyclist hits the door, loses his balance and falls down badly. However, there are not many injuries to the cyclist. In many cases, such accidents can turn out to be extremely bad and can even turn fatal. In India, a driver opened the door in a similar way and three people riding on a motorcycle hit the door. The motorcycle lost its balance and went under the rear wheels of a truck.
Such things can be avoided by practising a simple technique. The car driver did not know that a cyclist or a pedestrian is behind the vehicle. Else, the car driver would have definitely waited and let the cyclist or the pedestrian or any other motorist pass through first. It should be noted that in many countries opening the door to the side of the road is illegal. However, there are numerous countries where no such rule is applicable. For these countries, motorists can practice a simple and effective rule.
The Dutch Reach
Originated in the Netherlands, the Dutch Reach is a technique, which is a part of the school curriculum in the country. The idea is to use the farther hand to reach the door and open the handle. This way, the body of the person automatically moves towards the rear and the eyes can easily see if someone is coming from behind the vehicle. For example, if you’re sitting in the driver seat of the vehicle in India, use your left hand to open the door. Yes, it is that simple rule to follow.
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