USA – Mcrider.com writes that motorcyclists often feel that every car on the road is creating a risk to their safety. While it may sometimes seem like every driver is distracted, motorists need not be looking at a phone or otherwise completely distracted in order to cause a deadly crash with a motorcycle. As it […]
Drivers cut off motorcycles
USA – Mcrider.com writes that motorcyclists often feel that every car on the road is creating a risk to their safety. While it may sometimes seem like every driver is distracted, motorists need not be looking at a phone or otherwise completely distracted in order to cause a deadly crash with a motorcycle.
As it turns out, drivers, and humans in general, may be predisposed to neglect to notice motorcycles. Brains are constantly evaluating the information that is being inputted to them from our senses. When small objects are moving at high speeds, the brain may take time to register or notice that object. And in the time in which it takes for the brain to identify the object as a motorcycle, the bike may have covered a lot of territory.
In familiar environments, the brain will often ignore large amounts of input in an effort to avoid being overworked or becoming exhausted. Driving in new and unfamiliar places can be more tiring because our brains are not able to discard as much input. However, on a regular and familiar commute, we may ignore many things. Studies show that one thing we may often neglect to notice is a motorcycle. Even a short delay in identifying a motorcycle can mean a tragic crash.
Left turns are a prime example of a scenario in which a driver may fail to notice a motorcycle that is in front of him or her on the road. Drivers frequently cut into motorcycles paths when they turn left and then say that they simply never saw the motorcycle. In these cases, it may seem strange or unlikely that the motorist did not see an oncoming motorcycle in plain view, but it still could be true. The brain may have simply failed to recognize the motorcycle as important.
