The term suicide came from the gangster era of 1930s, when such doors were prone to open in a crash, and people could easily be thrown out of the vehicle. That's why such types of cars were said to be ''suicidal''. Suicide doors open the opposite way than regular doors to easily enter and exit the vehicle. The door is designed to hinge on the trailing edge. The latches move to the front. Suicide doors aren't widely used on vehicles in modern times.
Suicide doors don't open towards the front of the car, but towards the back. Some door applications have both rear and front suicide doors partially covering each other to prevent the back door from breaking. Other doors have cleverly designed technique to keep the door locked while the vehicle is moving. Suicide hinge system is a heavy-duty, secure construction that doesn't deserve the negative connotation that comes with its practical idea.
