The way we step out of our car is something most of us do without thinking. It’s an action we perform automatically every single day. However, a surprising number of serious accidents happen not because of a bad driver, but simply because of the way someone opens their door.

This crucial piece of safety advice—which I first heard from a friend of mine who’s a police officer—is so important that it’s being adopted by safety experts all over the world. The advice is simple: you should only open your car door with your right hand.At first, this might sound oddly specific and maybe even a little strange. Why would one hand be better than the other? The reason is completely based on safety and human nature. Once you understand the explanation, it really does make perfect sense, and like me, now I can’t believe I never knew this before.

The Unseen Danger of the “Mindless” Door Open

When you are the driver and your car is parked, your left hand is naturally closer to the door handle. It feels quicker and easier to just reach out with your left hand, pull the lever, and push the door open.

But here is the danger in this simple, natural action: using the left hand often means you do not turn your body. You simply swing the door open without carefully checking the space behind your car.

This action creates a major safety risk. There could be cyclists, delivery riders, people on scooters, or even a passing car coming up right alongside your vehicle. When someone opens a car door directly into the path of another road user, it is known as a “dooring accident.” These types of accidents can cause very serious injuries, especially to vulnerable road users like cyclists, and they are happening much more often than many people realize in busy urban areas.

Understanding the Life-Saving “Dutch Reach” Technique

The simple but highly effective technique that the police officer described is formally known in traffic safety circles around the world as the Dutch Reach.

Instead of reaching for the driver’s side door handle with your close, convenient left hand, you make the deliberate effort to use your right hand instead.