Tech Solutions to Doorings

New Technology & Gimmicks to Prevent Dooring Cyclists

Here are a variety of available high and low tech devices to prompt drivers and passengers, or to warn cyclists, to prevent doorings. If you know of others please forward info via email at Contact.https://www.dutchreach.org/contact-2/

Bicyclists:  See primer on Dooring Self-Defense for Cyclists here.

Door Atlas & Anatomy

11 Different Types of Car Door, Kingsley Felix, Wheels Inquirer, Aug 12, 2021.

AI /AV Overview - Forbes

Automakers' Can Stop Dooring, Now!

Thin vertical mirror attaches to post between front and back side windows for use by back seat occupants to watch out for bikes, trucks, cars, helps prevent, avoid doorings or being injured themselves.

Side rear view mirror lets passengers look for on-coming cyclists or other vehicles before opening door to exit.

Tech Solution 1: Side Mirrors for Back Seat Passengers

Thin vertical mirrors placed on the pillar between front and back side windows permit rear view for back seat passengers. The add-on mirrors with adhesive are sold as sets and are accompanied by stickers to instruct passenger use.   Cachi Mirror Company markets their mirrors to taxi fleet owners foremost to reduce civil liability, vehicle damage, off-service repair time, and 'accident' insurance cost exposures.

Side rear view mirror on B pillar between front and rear side door windows.

Taxi equipped with Cachi mirror for rear passenger use.

Sticker to place on window or in back seat area instructs occupants to watch out for cyclists, bikes, traffic before opening.

Sticker to warn passengers to check mirror to avoid dooring cyclists. - Cachi, Mirroty Inc.

Car with flashing lights triggered by driver or passenger unbuckling, unfastening seat beats, sets off warning lights on back roof, side mirror.

When seat belts unbuckle, DAS Lambda dooring alert system flashes exterior warning lights to alert cyclists

Tech Solution 2: Unbuckling & Video Cam Alert Systems for Cyclists & Occupants

An Australian company Dooring Alert Systems' DAS Lambda anti-'dooring' devices link unbuckling of seat belts to exterior warning lights; video cam detectors trigger interior warning lights of cyclist's approach  to avert the risk of dooring.  Also see article.

Rear facing radar alerts driver of on-coming cyclists with side mirror flashing LED - Audi A4 2016.

Rear facing radar alerts driver of on-coming cyclists with side mirror flashing LED - Audi A4 2016.

11% Side Crash Reduction Claims w/ Blind Spot Detection Tech:

An Analysis of Accident Claims for Cars with Blind Spot Detection (BSD) Technology in Malaysia, Aziz et al. 2020.

Tech Solution 3: Back Looking Detectors to Warn Driver of Cyclist Approach

The new 2016 Audi A4 luxury sedan uses radar and flashing exterior warning lights to alert driver and occupants of on-coming bicyclists.  Concealed behind the rear bumper, the device first detects cyclists at 10 to 15 meters (33 to 49 feet) back.  Warning lights near the side rear view mirror and atop the door trim are triggered automatically for up to three minutes after engine turn off as well as when running.

Also see Stop the Dooring Danger in What's Next in Car Safety, Consumer Reports, July 2021:

"To prevent dooring—which in some cities is responsible for close to 20 percent of cycling crashes—some current Audi and Mercedes-Benz vehicles and the upcoming 2022 Lexus NX use built-in sensors to detect oncoming bicycle or vehicle traffic from behind. If it isn’t safe to open the door, the vehicle will sound and/or flash a warning, or keep the door from unlatching. Some Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis vehicles actively prevent rear-seat occupants from exiting the vehicle until it’s safe by locking the rear doors."

See also Tech Solution #14 below.

rider-reminder
Rider Reminder adhesive rubber strip on door latch provides tactile nudge:  Look for cyclists.

Tech Solution 4: Tactile Reminder on Inside Door Latch

The Rider Reminder is an Australian invention applied to a car door latch to cue drivers to look out for cyclists when exiting their vehicle.   It is a small adhesive loop of rubber textured to feel like a handle bar grip and meant to work as an aide de memoire.

It has been endorsed by Victoria AU's Transport Accident Commission, and promoted by professional Australian cyclist Cadel Evans. Evans talks about car dooring and the tactile cue's use to prevent doorings in this video:  Rider Reminder TAC Towards Zero.

TECH SOLUTION #5: Bike Laser Light's "Bike Sign" to Warn Drivers

Projected outlines of bikcycle signage in green fluoescent color warns other road users of oncoming bicycle. Intended to increase night bicycling safety in London.

"Bat Signal" for bikes! Blaze Laser Bike Light cast bike signal onto pavement ahead of bicyclest to warn drivers & pedestrians of bicyclist's approach.

Blaze Laserlight  -- 11500 of London's Santander public bikes to be equipped

Transport of London

This way the public bicycles of London avoid nocturnal accidents

Patricia Duran - 02/10/2016,  NOTICIAS  -- COCHES.COM

The system, pioneer so far, projects on the ground the image of a bicycle five meters away, in order that these are more easily recognized by a driver and avoid a possible collision.  Video promotion.

If driver looks back and down, perhaps the projected image could forewarn and prevent doorings.  Also, the pavement signal may not be dependably visible on viewing the wing mirror.  However the head lamp itself would likely be visible from afar.

Transport for London Logo UK


Retracted door featured in on a 1993 Lincoln Mark VIII

TECH SOLUTION #6: Disappearing Car Doors

Bend your mind and roll your car doors!

 Jatech of UK demonstrates its contribution to unconventional or pre-conventional vehicle door design with their video,  Disappearing CarDoor by Jatech.  While it has failed thus far to go mainstream, as have sliding vehicle doors, nor achieved such glory as DeLorean's gull-wing doors, Jatech's retractable-door trick should at least merit a cult following.  

But  bike expert John S. Allen was not reassured.  His  2009 blog post - End to “dooring” hazard? - noted it, and comments on its anti-dooring limitations.   

Sedans with Horizontally Sliding Doors

Slide Under Car Doors

Audi 8 2018 has a suite of anti dooring tech features, including exterior alert lights when driver is about to exit, sensors to detect approaching on-coming bicyclist, automatic door locking to prevent heedless exits and risk of dooring injury or death to bicyclist. Vehicle lists at $200,000.

Click image for article.

TECH SOLUTION #7: 2018 Audi 8 sports Suite of anti dooring features

Audi reveals cyclist-friendly tech

New Audi A8 locks doors if it detects a cyclist

Vehicle has exterior warning lights for cyclists, senses when driver has hand on door handle, detects on-coming cyclists with remote sensing, and temporarily locks door should driver attempt to open in presence of on-coming cyclist. Protection lasts for 3 minutes once motor turned off. Price: $200,000 in Australia.

Volvo EV Anti-Dooring Feature

TECH SOLUTION #8: Semcon's 'Life Sticker' - Wireless Alert Device & App

Life Sticker: solar powered device to prevent doorings, sticks on side-view wing mirror. Electronic sticker may keep cyclists from getting "doored". LED alert light triggered by wireless signal - Bluetooth App - from approaching cyclist's cell phone, warns driver to avoid opening & prevents dooring of cyclist. Invented by Semcon in Shanghi.

Life-Sticker: View video / Read New Atlas article.

 

TECH SOLUTION #9: Bright Paint on Door Edge

Anti dooring Life Hacker suggestion to paint outside inner edge of vehicle car door a bright color to warn oncoming cyclists door is opening.

Paint a Warning Strip on the Inside of Your Car Door to Prevent Accidents. LifeHacker, by Thorin Klosowski, 2/07/12. Click here or image to view article.

While of limited value when doors are suddenly flung open, application of bright, reflective paint on all vehicle door edges could prove protective in some instances. Perhaps NHTSA should require manufacturers should be required to do so. Some vehicles now have small red lights on the edge of doors, which would again be somewhat helpful at night, though not during  daylight.

 

 

TECH SOLUTION #10: High-Curvature Convex Secondary Side Mirror

Supplement wing mirrors with high curvature secondary mirrors.  Photo: Keep cyclists safe by doing the Dutch Reach, Lisa Boynton, May 07,  2018. Canadian Automobile Assn.

A Door Lever for the Dutch Reach

Recessed lever is shor, angled in, and points forward with a cupped T end, well-suited for finger tips to engage & pull back to open. [Left door; Aston Martin 2019 Vantage sports car.] For an in-depth discussion of lever click here.

TECH SOLUTION #11: Re-Design Door Handle to Favor Dutch Reach

More on the A-M door latch lever here.

'Dutch Reach Lever' Demo @ 8m 12s

For in-depth discussion of how Aston Martin lever encourages the Dutch Reach click here.

TECH SOLUTION #12: Door lever action &/or senors activate alerts

Autotür kollisionen Koln Cologne taxi driver patents door opening alert system to warn cyclists tying door lever operation to exterior lights and interior vibratory alerts. Ford studies sensor-based solutions for doorings. By Ayhan Demirci, EXPRESS, 12/20/19, Cologne .de. [Original article in German. Use Google Translate.] Click image to enlarge.

Ford's New Anti-Dooring Tech

Exit Warning sounds an alarm and could prevent doors opening fully if it detects a potential collision

Ford Motor Company of Europe announces dooring alert & prevention features, Cologne, Germany, Feb 2020. Exit Warning sounds an alarm and could prevent doors opening fully if it detects a potential collision. Also reported on in Creamer Media's Engineering News of Johannesburg ZA  & Perth AU here on 11 Nov 2o20.

#12: Neue Lösungen zur Vermeidung von Autotür kollisionen von Taxifahrer & Ford

Technologie-Ideen zur Vermeidung von Autotürkollisionen. Ford & Taxifahrer bieten Lösungen für Autotürkollisionen. Von Ayhan Demirci, EXPRESS, 20. Dezember 1919, Köln .de. Klicken Sie auf das Bild, um es zu vergrößern.

#13 Pending: Tesla to Add Anti-Dooring Function to EVs

Tesla to reprogram on-board software to warn drivers of dooring risk incident with warning.

Elon Musk, Testa's chief, agrees to anti-dooring update for its electric vehicles.  Zweimal kurz „Ok“: Tesla-Chef nimmt Twitter-Vorschläge für neue Funktionen an, TeslaMag, Jan 7, 2020.  More tech solutions here.

#14: Anti dooring Tech by Audi, Aston Martin & Faurecia

Video to right by BFM TV describes danger of blindspots & driver failure to exercise caution. It then presents anti dooringt systems by three manufacturers: Audi's E-tron system followed by Aston Martin's  integrated 3 camera system,  & Faurecia's which "presented a camera rearview mirror that warns the driver of the presence of another user in his blind spot. For example, a cyclist is indicated in yellow, orange and then red as he gets closer in the interior screen which retransmits the images from the exterior camera. But if it is too close, the vehicle blocks the opening of the door, in case even with all these warnings, the driver has not seen the bicycle arrive."  BFM.TV, France. 25/01/2020.

BFM.TV on Dooring & 3 Tech Solutions

Link to video here.

#15 Add-on Latch Adapter for Dutch Reach

Dutch Reach door latch adapter which when placed on car door lever requires use of the far hand to to open.. Credit: Shaofeng Wang, National Taipei University of Technology Taipei, Taiwan. iF World Design Guide's Young Talent Contest.

Demonstration of door latch lever adapter to require Dutch Reach maneuver.  Credit:Shaofeng Wang, National Taipei University of Technology Taipei, Taiwan. iF Design Young Talent Contest.

Tech Solution #16: Notched Door Hinges

Car manufacturers can equip vehicle doors with notched hinge, which does not open too quickly, nor too easily over its entire width. Source: Eviter l'emportiérage, par l'urbaniste  Jacques Robin, Loire, FR, 2 août 2020.

Tech Solution #18: Robotaxis with Anti-Dooring Tech

TECH SOLUTION #19: Toyota's Revolutionary Dooring Deflector

Innovative: Toyota Is Saving Cyclists’ Lives By Adding Ramps To Their Car Doors
...
Press release:

“The engineers of the Toyota Motor Corporation are happy to offer a ramp feature improving the experience for everyone on the road. Instead of facing an opened door or potentially deadly sideswipe, cyclists will now be launched well into the air—and are encouraged to do a tail tap or even a 180, should they wish—before being safely returned to the ground.”

More at Clickhole.com

Wired Helmet Alerts - Research

“Attention! A Door Could Open.”—Introducing Awareness Messages for Cyclists to Safely Evade Potential Hazards, Tamara von Sawitzky et al, , Multimodal Technologies & Interactions, MDPI, Published: 31 December 2021. (pdf). See also here.

### LO - TECH SOLUTIONS...

 

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Cover image for Dutch Reach anti- dooring Twitter Moments series PSA featuring James Dean beside a top viewed icon of a sedan with all four doors open.

"Doorings: Lo Tech Solutions" cover for Twitter Moments PSA which promotes the Dutch Reach as a 'No Tech" Low Tech solution to prevent dooring of cyclists.

All Anti-dooring Solutions are partial; All are needed.

If political will, install protected separated bike lanes. Cyclists should always try to avoid riding in or being squeezed into the door zone danger area, and all drivers & passengers should be urged to use the Dutch Reach across method to avoid car dooring of bicyclies, moped, motorcycles & other vulnerable road users.

No One Solution to Doorings. Protected bike lanes, avoidance of the Door Zone, and the Dutch Reach countermeasure are all valuable, but even so, other, albeit partial solutions are also needed. Credit: Dutch Reach Project.

Plus de solutions pour prévenir l'emportiérage

La "poignée hollandaise" Ouvrir sa portière "à la hollandaise" Le réflexe "main droite" A portée néerlandaise *L'ouverture hollandaise *L'ouverture pivot L’ouverture à la hollandaise Les Hollandais atteignent Le néerlandaise atteignent La portière hollandaise

Les solutions pour éviter l'emportiérage. Tous les détails se trouvent dans le diaporama ici, par l'urbaniste  Jacques Robin, Loire, FR. [Cliquez sur l'image pour l'agrandir.]

Bike Cam Video Evidence

Cyclist Video Evidence promotes using video & technology to track, map & analyze near miss incidents to improve police enforcement, deterence & collision prevention.