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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: 2) by dry on Sunday January 07 2018, @05:13AM
Those pulsing lights fuck my head up, something about the speed of the flashes. Same with the odd bicycle that has a blinking head light. Anything that makes you look away does not seem safe.
What really gets my attention with bicycles is the pedal reflectors, orange light going up and down and I know it is a bike and not a random reflector on the side of the road. Something like that would be much better on a motorbike and even bicycles could have them lit up so they're noticeable when the bike is on a side road or such where reflectors don't work.