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The disproportionately high number of motorcycle-related traffic accidents may be linked to the way the human brain processes—or fails to process—information, according to new research published in Human Factors, "Allocating Attention to Detect Motorcycles: The Role of Inattentional Blindness." The study examines how the phenomenon of inattentional blindness, or a person's failure to notice an unexpected object located in plain sight, might explain the prevalence of looked-but-failed-to-see (LBFTS) crashes, the most common type of collision involving motorcycles.
According to human factors/ergonomics researchers Kristen Pammer, Stephanie Sabadas, and Stephanie Lentern, LBFTS crashes are particularly troublesome because, despite clear conditions and the lack of other hazards or distractions, drivers will look in the direction of the oncoming motorcycle - and in some cases appear to look directly at the motorcycle - but still pull out into its path.
The study authors suggest training drivers to be more alert for motorcycles.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by turgid on Saturday January 06 2018, @10:24AM (8 children)
Here in the UK filtering (lane splitting) is legal for motorcycles, but overtaking on the left (right in other countries) is illegal for all other vehicles. I drive twice daily on a motorway. I've never ridden a motorbike because I consider it just too risky, and I'm often amazed at the sloppy way many people drive.
It really does pay to have your mirrors in your car correctly set up, especially on multi-lane roads where vehicles will be passing and changing lanes frequently. There's a lot going on all around you all the time. In fact, I find myself very busy looking ahead, behind and to the sides all the time.
It's pretty obvious that many drivers can't be bothered or just don't care or have no idea of the danger they're causing when they drive too fast to close, change lanes without indicating, causing other vehicles to brake or change lane evasively including motorcycles. Obviously this is especially dangerous for a motorcycle since the rider has virtually zero protection from impacts. In fact, I know someone who had to take evasive action from a car changing lane on such a road. He had to put the bike down on its side, skidding along the road, hit something and broke his legs.
What absolutely beggars belief is the number of times an ambulance or police car comes along the motorway with its lights flashing and siren going, and it gets blocked by cars ahead who apparently haven't noticed! All they need to do is to pull over. How can you not notice flashing lights in your mirrors? On the straight bits you can see them a mile and a half away.
The standard of driving is pretty poor in general. The sooner self-driving cars become the norm, the better.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 06 2018, @12:08PM (7 children)
Tell your friend to NEVER lay his bike down. The tires and brakes will slow your bike down faster than the metal and flesh sliding along. That laying bikes down to stop is from another day and age, when bikes may or may not have had working brakes at all, and they weren't very effective if they were present. Never, never, NEVER lay a bike down intentionally. Well, unless you decided to disconnect the brakes, then went riding - in which case, you're up for a Darwin award. Just grit your teeth, and get it over with, then claim your award!!
(Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Saturday January 06 2018, @02:15PM (6 children)
Thanks, this is the second time "laying the bike down" has been referred to, and it's another of those stupid riding habits like only using the rear brake like you did on your old bicycle. Luckily, both of these habits are eventually self-correcting.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday January 06 2018, @08:00PM (5 children)
Only using the rear brake is one of those perpetual wrong-teaching things, that should be coming to an end, soon after the Baby Boomers are gone.
There weren't any riding classes when I came up. No internet. Few authors had written anything authoritative about motorcycle riding. There was nowhere to go for information. Somebody or other has a wreck on a bike, and he insists that his front brake caused it. No matter that he may or may not have a measurable IQ - everyone who hears him gives him some credibility. And, bikers tend to avoid that front brake because it can indeed do strange things to your ability to stay upright - IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PHYSICS OF YOUR MOTORCYCLE.
It was only after the internet came along, that I gained enough understanding of the physics, that I now feel comfotable using that front brake aggressively. If, 45 or 50 years ago, someone had explained all the facts about weight and tire loading, I would have been a much better rider.
Anyway, everyone needs a teacher when he starts out. Having a bad teacher helps you to be a bad rider.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Sunday January 07 2018, @02:50AM (4 children)
I don't know how it would work on a motorcycle, but on a bicycle ... if you ride on ice or packed snow, you learn to use ONLY the rear brake the very first time you apply 'em... because if you use both, you'll swap ends (and possibly flip yourself) at amazing speed. Same with braking while going down a serious hill.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 1) by Crash on Wednesday January 10 2018, @08:32PM (3 children)
The worst was a steep ~45° hill during the Winter with moderate temperatures - which caused frequent black ice. Oddly I only wiped out once that year.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Wednesday January 10 2018, @10:30PM (2 children)
I know the evil stuff well... black ice didn't seem to bother the bicycle as much as did packed snow, maybe a matter of relative surface melt from tire pressure.
And that's a steep enough hill to wipe out without any help! Yikes!
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 1) by Crash on Thursday January 11 2018, @04:56AM (1 child)
Or the bicycle, I used to ride a heavy steel-frame wide-tire Mountain Bike that you could just barely pick up with one hand.
Things changed drastically when I switched to a Medalist 7005 aluminum frame, which you could easily pick up with a single finger
Found a picture here: https://www.pinkbike.com/photo/13627227/ [pinkbike.com]
Rain, Sleet, Snow, Hills - no problem!
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Thursday January 11 2018, @05:27AM
Yeah, my old bike was a steel-framed Schwinn from the 1960s, and it weighed 40 pounds (I know, cuz it got weighed when it was sent on the bus as freight). That thing had its own momentum. Current bike weighs about half that and isn't nearly as sensitive to how it's braked. (OTOH, it's not nearly as good a bike, despite being lighter on the controls.) But when I come off my yard hill -- I still rear-only brake, cuz otherwise it wants to skitter a bit.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.