1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio, Hey 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:10,960 Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren Bogle bomb here rear cross traffic alert, 3 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: blind spot monitoring, pedestrian and cyclist detection. Automakers are coming 4 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:19,760 Speaker 1: up with numerous new safety features to help drivers, and 5 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: more importantly, these features are becoming more available and affordable. Still, 6 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: drivers shouldn't wait for these innovations to increase their own 7 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: awareness of what's going on around their vehicles. What if 8 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,959 Speaker 1: there were a quick and easy way to reduce cyclist 9 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: fatalities that doesn't require technology and that works in any car. 10 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: It turns out there is, and it's called the Dutch reach. 11 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: Here's how it works. If you're in the driver's seat, 12 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 1: instead of reaching down with your left hand and opening 13 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: the door, reach over with your right hand. Reaching across 14 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: your body slows you down and forces your body and 15 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: head to face the direction you're moving. You catch a 16 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: glimpse of the side mirror so you can see if 17 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 1: a cyclist or pedestrian is closer than they appear, and 18 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: then you'll automatically look behind you to ensure that no 19 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:12,959 Speaker 1: one else is approaching. Put simply instead of flinging the 20 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: door open with one hand and doing something else with 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,679 Speaker 1: the other like grabbing your bag, phone, coffee, whatever. The 22 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: Dutch reach forces you to be more conscious of what 23 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: you're doing in there were eight hundred and forty bicyclist 24 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: fatalities on United States roads, according to the National Highway 25 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: Traffic Safety Administration. That represents an increase of one over 26 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:41,680 Speaker 1: and as the highest number recorded since Study from Vancouver 27 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: in British Columbia, Canada showed that of the cyclists who 28 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: were involved in a crash with a car, most injuries 29 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: were caused by doorings. When a cyclist is hit by 30 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: a car door that opens in their path. It's a 31 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: common misconception that doorings aren't serious because the car isn't moving, 32 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: but these common crashes can easily result in a cyclist's death. 33 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: That means that even if there isn't enough data to 34 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: prove the effectiveness of the Dutch Reach, yet, there's still 35 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,839 Speaker 1: plenty of incentive to make the effort to reduce and 36 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:16,799 Speaker 1: hopefully eliminate these types of collisions. The Dutch Reach got 37 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,519 Speaker 1: its name because it's become second nature to drivers in 38 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: the Netherlands, who are accustomed to the country's bike friendly 39 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: culture before they even start to drive The Dutch Reach 40 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: is also taught in driver education in the Netherlands in 41 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:32,959 Speaker 1: case anyone manages to miss the memo. Still, experts say 42 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: it took some time for drivers and cyclists to coexist 43 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: peacefully and safely, and the necessary changes didn't happen on 44 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 1: their own. After time and effort, other European municipalities began 45 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: to embrace this technique. That means that education and effort 46 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: can make changes in the United States too. The Dutch 47 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: Reach Project is an American organization that was created in 48 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:58,679 Speaker 1: in response to the preventable death of a twenty seven 49 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: year old U S nursing student who died after colliding 50 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 1: with an open car door. The Dutch Reach was first 51 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: added to driver training manuals in Massachusetts, where the fatality occurred, 52 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,799 Speaker 1: and in Illinois. Washington became the third state to add 53 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: the Dutch Reach to state driver materials as of February 54 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: of twenty nineteen. In a New York Times story about 55 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 1: the Dutch Reach, Peter Hahn, the survivor of a serious 56 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: dooring crash in Washington, compared the technique to the idea 57 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: of looking both ways before crossing the street. The Dutch 58 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: Reach Project aims to create awareness even more, educating drivers 59 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: about the technique with the hopes that the behavioral change 60 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: will become a habit and the norm. At the beginning 61 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: of twenty nineteen, Triple A and the National Safety Council 62 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: started teaching the Dutch reach in driver's safety classes, which 63 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: means that it may be on the way to becoming 64 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: more widespread in the United States. The Dutch Reach Project 65 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: says that it typically takes around thirty days to retrain 66 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: the brain to open a car door with the far 67 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: side hand. They suggest tying a ribbon to the door 68 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: handle is a way to remind yourself to practice the 69 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: Dutch reach every time you get out of the car. Eventually, 70 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: your brain will create the muscle memory necessary to make 71 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 1: it automatic. Today's episode was written by shers three Wit 72 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 1: and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this and 73 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 1: lots of other curious topics, visit how stuff works dot com. 74 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio. For more 75 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, 76 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.