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posted by mrpg on Saturday January 06 2018, @06:09AM   Printer-friendly
from the ohoh dept.

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.


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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday January 06 2018, @08:00PM (5 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday January 06 2018, @08:00PM (#618860) Journal

    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.

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  • (Score: 2) by Reziac on Sunday January 07 2018, @02:50AM (4 children)

    by Reziac (2489) on Sunday January 07 2018, @02:50AM (#618984) Homepage

    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)

      by Crash (1335) on Wednesday January 10 2018, @08:32PM (#620610)

      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)

        by Reziac (2489) on Wednesday January 10 2018, @10:30PM (#620684) Homepage

        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)

          by Crash (1335) on Thursday January 11 2018, @04:56AM (#620805)

          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

            by Reziac (2489) on Thursday January 11 2018, @05:27AM (#620810) Homepage

            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.