If you鈥檙e a cyclist you know all too well the fear of being doored.
鈥淒ooring鈥� is a collision caused by the act of opening a car door in the path of an oncoming cyclist.
It can have painful consequences and the number of incidents are on the rise in Toronto.
鈥淟ast year, in Toronto, there were 175 dooring incidents and those are only the ones that were reported. This year there have already been 169,鈥� Traffic Services Media Officer, Clinton Stibbe, told CTVNews Toronto.
But a retired U.S. doctor, Michael Charney, is spearheading that offers a simple solution.
It鈥檚 called 鈥楾he Dutch Reach鈥�.
It鈥檚 a common practice in the Netherlands, where more than 30 per cent of the population use bicycles as their main mode of transportation. They even teach it in drivers鈥� education classes there.
To perform the manoeuvre, all drivers and driver鈥檚 side passengers have to do is use their right hand to open vehicle doors when exiting.
This forces your body to look back for bikes and traffic and minimizes the possibility of 鈥榙ooring鈥� a cyclist.
Those in the cycling community hope drivers will adopt this move as part of their routine so the streets can be safer for everyone.
With a report from CTV Toronto鈥檚 Scott Lightfoot
