It's always a good idea for the car driver to look over the shoulder that is closest to oncoming traffic. — dpa
BERLIN: One in every five accidents that result in serious injuries to a cyclist is caused by collisions with a car door that suddenly opens.
In order to minimize the risk of a collision with cyclists approaching from behind, drivers need to check more than their rear-view or side-view mirrors when getting out of a parked car.
It's always a good idea to look over the shoulder that is closest to oncoming traffic. A useful method for doing so is to reach across your body to open your driver-side door; in other words, open the door with your right hand if you're in a country that drives on the left side, and with your left if you drive on the right.
Since this is how the upper body naturally rotates, doing so will automatically turn your field of vision laterally and behind you.
For their part, cyclists should always keep a minimum distance of 1 metre from parked cars and should look for clues that the driver is about to get out, such as when other passengers are exiting.
