[eon]

Some interesting reading in this research as to why car drivers can look right at a bike but not see them, and what you can do to avoid it. Some dry statistics in here but also lots of info on research by milataries who want to approach targets without being seen.

Car Collisions And Motorcycles

[RobbieJ]

Probably the biggest reason that car drivers do not see motorcycles is because they are not looking for them. Think of it this way. Remember looking into the fridge for something to eat and you open the door and you scan over everything but, didn’t really see anything that you wanted. However, your mom asks if you want some left over meatloaf. You didn’t see it when you looked the first time but, it sounds really good, now. You mom walks over and opens the fridge, moves the juice out of the way and BAM!!! there it is. The same applies on the road. Drivers scan over there general range of view and aren’t thinking of looking for motorcycles. They see everything but, motorcycles. That’s why it’s important for us to wear contrasting colors to help get their attention.

[SaleenDriva]

I agree completely that car drivers are not looking for motorcyclists, and there for dont see them. Someone asked me about a month ago (before getting a bike was a reality for me) if a large number of people in Hawaii rode motorcycles. I said not really, I don’t see that many on the road. Boy was I wrong. Once I took an interest in them, I saw bikes EVERYWHERE! I see at least 3 or 4 on a 5 minute drive to the store, and at least 5-10 every time I jump on the freeway here. It’s like the ‘red-car syndrome”-if you buy a red car, you’ll see them everywhere.

[Andrew]

42% of motorcycle collisions happen from front on. So I’m surprised more people don’t try and add extra reflection to the front of the bike and themselves. Granted theres a limited profile but adding tape to the back of your helmet isn’t doing a lot based on that stat.

Andrew

[Anonymous]

… that would be illegal. Interestingly enough, it is not allowed to modify helmet in any way.

[Anonymous]

There are more bikes around nowadays because of gas prices. When gas prices were under $2/gal, most bikers were smart enough to stay away from rush hour. Thats why you never really noticed them as much…

[BoOZe P-ti Motard]

or let mom do the job..

BoOZe
Solomolo Rider

[BoOZe P-ti Motard]

but car drivers are not interested in us but in women

BoOZe
Solomolo Rider

[BoOZe P-ti Motard]

they always want to be invisible and camouflage themselves..black bike, so black gear to match it..green bike..still black gear..yellow bike? still black gear..but with a few yellow stripes imean riders put their personal choices first over safety matters..right?

BoOZe
Solomolo Rider

[eon]

Car drivers not looking for bikes is a factor and was taken into account in the research. The problem is the sheer number of “Sorry mate I didn’t see you” incidents implies there is something more going on than just careless drivers.

Research outside the field of motorcycle accidents has shown that an object heading straight towards you is difficult for our eyes/brain to pick out. Our brains are wired to identify moving objects. If something is heading directly towards you then there is limited movement to identify and you simply blend into the background. It is not until the car driver pulls out that you move across his horizontal vision, the brain suddenly registers this closing object, they freeze and hit the brakes.

I am all for hi-viz clothing and own a luminous yellow, dorky looking jacket. But swirly patterns, even brightly colored ones, can act as camouflage. The main factor to effective camouflage is not color matching to the background but breaking up your outline. If you can paint a swirly pattern on a battleship and have it blend into the blue ocean, what chance do we have riding down main street with neon signs behind us.

The point of all this is that you can wear all the hi-viz clothing you want, there will be times when the driver will not see you. You need to ride expecting the car to pull out if you want to avoid becoming a statistic.

   USS Leviathan WW1

[BoOZe P-ti Motard]

wat the fiuk is dat???!!! and yea the soring cat is rite..and also high beams are not meant for night purposes only…

BoOZe
Solomolo Rider

[Budd]

So weaving in your lane is a good strategy?

“I am the best there is at what I do, and what I do ain’t nice.”-Wolverine

[eon]

In theory, yes. But as they pointed out, when weaving towards the person you are actually exacerbating the problem (you are narrowing the angle of attack), so you weave sharply towards them and then gradually away. But then you have the problem if someone is on the other side of the road (i.e. someone is leaving a side street and someone is entering it). Not surprisingly, this quickly becomes unmanageable.

Bottom line is, always expect the person to pull out in front of you and have your escape plan ready.

[Author]

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