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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: 3, Interesting) by theluggage on Saturday January 06 2018, @04:34PM
Maybe, just maybe, because pushbikes travel at ~10mph, whereas even a farty little 70cc motor scooter is capable of keeping up with urban traffic and following the same rules of the road?
Or that pushbikes are not only zero-emission, but help keep their riders fit, are far cheaper to buy and run than any motor vehicle?
Now, that is where motorbikes and pushbikes are alike: drivers are expected to pass them with the same clearance as they would another car, but its somehow the God-given right of riders to dart though the tiniest gap between vehicles and complain when the driver's x-ray 360 degree vision doesn't spot them...