Sometimes riding in traffic it feels like every car on the road is out to get you.
Why are motorcycles so hard to see?
Radar tracks information in a very similar manner to our brains. (use a radar screen as an example) the line rotates around the screen and with each pass it picks up new information. The line represents what the radar sees right now.
With each rotation of the radar line we get a new picture of what is happening in the overall picture.
Problems start to occur when there are small objects that move quickly. A small fast moving object can move a significant amount before it is ever registered on the radar.
Our brains work in a similar fashion as the radar. The eyes collect images, those images are assembled into an overall picture of what is happening.
As motorcyclist our problem is we are that small fast moving object on the radar screen
A motorcycle approaching head-on from a distance occupies a very small part of a driver's vision. If it's going quickly, it's possible that the eye simply won't get around to looking at it enough to make it “stick” in the brain before it arrives in the driver's immediate vicinity. That part is important because the brain can really only see things that it understands.
Chances are you are looking at this video on a phone or computer monitor. You are focused…I hope on the video. But your brain is ignoring other things in your field of view. Without turning your head move your eyes slightly off screen. Is there a coffee cup there, a notepad or some other small object that you were not consciously aware of before? Your brain was ignoring it.
Particularly in familiar environments the brain discards visual information to keep from becoming taxed or exhausted. Have you ever noticed how much more fatigued you are driving in a very unfamiliar area than you are one in which you drive every day? It is because your brain must process a lot more information in new environments but it takes a little rest on your way to work because it thinks it knows the environment.
For this reason if you don’t expect to see a motorcycle on your morning commute your brain may actually discard much of that information until it is too late.
Let’s look at a very common occurrence, most crashes occur at intersections with the car making a left hand turn in front of a motorcycle. The car stops at the intersection as a rider approaches the intersection at a high rate of speed. The driver looks straight ahead, and does not see anything because the motorcycle is small and a long ways away. The driver looks left, it’s clear, he looks right, it’s clear. He looks straight ahead again and still does not see anything because his brain has already told him it is clear and it discards that visual information.
The driver makes a left hand turn directly into the motorcycle. The driver of the car tells the police office, “I never saw him.” Which is true.
Because you are now more aware of how your vision works can it make you a better rider? Yes, it can. You can keep your eyes moving, no tunnel vision, and keep updating the visual map provided to your brain. Make a point to look at an intersecting road or driveway. Inspect that parked car up the road to make sure they are not actually pulling out. In a residential area? Be aware of kids possibly chasing a ball into the street. Check your mirrors at a stop light to know what is coming up behind you. Look far enough up the road so you are not reacting at the last second to obstacles.
What you can’t control is how other drivers will use their vision and that is part of the challenge of riding a motorcycle well. You have no control over the stressed driver facing layoff from work who is thinking about how they will feed their family.
But, because you are now aware of how his vision works as well you can be better prepared for him when he does not see you.
Don’t let the mistakes of others affect your safety on the road.
