Ford Van Reduces “Dooring” Incidents

Could the new Ford Transit Custom prevent “Dooring” incidents?

For urban road users, whether on two wheels or four, the roads can be a busy and distracting space. With ever more of our shopping taking place online, van deliveries have increased. This leads to drivers having to make up to 200 drop-offs per day. That kind of work-load means their attention isn’t always what it should be. Jumping out to make another next-day delivery while on a double-yellow line, they can miss you cycling by, leading to an unpleasant ‘dooring’.

What is dooring? It’s when a driver, or passenger open their door without checking if it’s safe. This can lead to a cyclist, scooter or motorcyclist hitting the deck as they hit or swerve to avoid the door. Every year, in England, Wales and Scotland, more than 500 people are injured because someone opened a car door into their path. And that’s just the reported incidents. I was doored twice and never reported it as I got away with cuts and bruises.

Dutch Reach can prevent dooring!

There are programmes to educate drivers to be more aware, one of them is the Dutch Reach. In the Netherlands drivers are taught to open their doors with their off-hand. This way they have to reach across their body, which makes them turn their body and head. This means they can now see the road behind them, avoiding a dooring. Now Ford have developed their innovative Exit Warning technology, to automate the Dutch Reach.

Their Ford Transit Custom van can be equipped with Exit Warning. This uses radar and external sensors to identify and alert a driver when opening their door. Anyone exceeding 7 Kph will be picked up by the sensors which will set off alerts. These consist of an audible warning as well as flashing LEDs in the mirrors. The sensors work on both sides of the vehicle, which means passengers also receive a warning and allows for vehicles parking either side of a road.

How it works

While this technology is currently only available on the Transit and Tourneo Custom models, more will be added. Hans Schep, general manager, Ford Pro, Europe said: “Vans are the lifeblood of our cities. We know that dropping off hundreds of parcels a day can be difficult and demanding for delivery drivers – especially at this time of year. By offering Exit Warning on the all-new Transit Custom, we are aiming to make journeys safer for Ford Pro drivers and other road users as well.” You can read the full article on Ford’s news site.

So as you cycle around your own city it’s nice to know motor manufacturers are thinking about us cyclists. While we wait for this technology to trickle down, the Dutch Reach is a simple and cheap method to prevent dooring incidents.