It is not the first time that on the Moveo channel we have talked about the importance of opening the door to the Dutch woman to get out of the car. However, the publication of a creepy video on social networks has prompted us to once again remind ourselves of this practical method to leave the vehicle without causing harm to other road users or to oneself.
The recording that has been seen on Twitter shows a scene captured by a camera located on a busy street in Cachoerias de Macacu (Brazil). The images show an urban road with one lane in each direction and cars parked on both sides. A red Mercedes-Benz tanker truck is driving properly in its lane when a motorist cuts into the narrow space between the heavy vehicle and parked cars.
Just as he is about to pass him, a woman opens the door of her car to get out, but she does so without looking back to make sure no one is approaching from behind. When she activates it, she hits the motorcycle squarely and her driver is thrown out in the middle of the street just as the truck passes, which stops abruptly.
Fortunately, the motorcyclist stays between the axles of the large-tonnage vehicle without being run over by its heavy wheels. This saves his life. In fact, you can see him crawling almost his entire body out of the underside of the trailer.
Obviously, the motorist could have avoided this accident if he had traveled properly in his lane. This type of negligent behavior that violates traffic regulations is very risky and must be avoided at all costs. On this occasion, he has been able to explain it, but perhaps again he will not be so lucky. And it is that we must not forget that vulnerable road users are the ones who bear the brunt when an accident occurs.
However, this accident could also have been avoided if the driver of the car had opened the door the Dutch way, a method recommended by the Civil Guard, which consists of activating the handle with the hand furthest from the door, which forces to look in the rearview mirror. Likewise, you have to turn your trunk and neck, and this forces you to look behind the car at a height greater than shoulder height. And this allows you to see if someone is approaching from the back area. In this way, not only are other vulnerable road users protected - for example, a cyclist, motorcyclist or scooter driver - but also the passenger is prevented from being run over by a car when exiting the vehicle.
This is explained on the Dutch Reach Project website, which promotes this habit. In the Netherlands, this practice is widespread and is taught from the moment a person goes to the driving school to learn to drive. Despite the fact that the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) recommends exiting on the opposite side of a lane in which cars circulate, there are certain situations in which it is impossible to do so. It is in these cases when it is convenient to remember the convenience of opening the door to the Dutch. For everyone's safety.
