Doing Dutch can save lives

If you look up the definition of “critical thinking” you will find that it says “the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.”

When leaving the house and observing the people on the road, in the bike lane, on the sidewalk, it seems like no one remembers that anymore.

Examples can be found everywhere:

• people on foot who are glued to the phone screens while stepping off the curb
• people on bikes wearing dark clothes at night
• people in cars accelerating when they see the light turn yellow

Every day, we can read examples of injuries of road users. Cars that have crashed into each other, a pedestrian hit while jaywalking, a cyclist scraped up when they tripped getting up the curb.

If you are a vulnerable road user, a pedestrian, a cyclist, a skateboarder, riding a mobility scooter, why do you have headphones in your ears?

Why are you not paying full attention to your environment when there are 3,000-pound death machines bearing down?

When you are driving a 3,000-pound vehicle that can cause thousands of dollars of damage or even death, why do you distract yourself by trying to eat a burger at the same time?

Why do you allow the ringing phone to take your eyes off the road when the green light ahead could quickly change colour?

Over a year ago, a driver opened his door and this resulted in a cyclist dying. The driver of the car has to live with that knowledge.

Using the “Dutch Reach” might have saved Patricia Keenan’s life and saved the driver’s conscience.

The Dutch Reach consists of using your opposite hand to open the car door, automatically twisting your body so that you can shoulder check before you fling open a 50-pound piece of metal into traffic.

Opening the door with your opposite hand takes more thought, it’s not as automatic as using the hand closest to the door, but it could save someone’s life, or your conscience from having hurt someone.

Think about it.

This is just one example of thinking about your actions.

• If you get bored just walking down the street, or need a boost to keep the legs pedaling while riding to your destination, do you have to wear headphones that shut out the sounds of your environment?
• If your phone rings while you’re driving, do you have to answer it?
• As a cyclist, you might think that hugging the curb between parked cars would be the safe thing to do. Would it surprise you to know that it’s unsafe? It takes you out of the line of sight of a car and then you *pop* back into view when you swerve around the next parked car.
• As a driver, do you think talking over a hands-free device is the same as talking to a passenger?
• It’s been shown that it’s much safer talking to a passenger because they will automatically stop chatting when the driving conditions change and they offer an extra set of eyes.
• Researchers have said that you’re as likely to have an accident chatting over your headset as you are when drunk.

What decisions do you make automatically that needs more thought? What’s stopping you from thinking things all the way through to the actual risk you are taking with your life and other lives around you?

If we’re thinking about our environment and paying attention, things won’t surprise us.

We won’t be plagued with road rage and overall we’d be happier.

We might even arrive at our destination relaxed instead of stressed knowing that we’ve thought it through.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.