Why Don’t Car Drivers See Motorcyclists?
The Scenario
A motorcyclist is riding on the main road. A car driver is waiting to make a left turn. By all logic and rules, the driver should see the motorcyclist and yield. But instead, the car suddenly turns directly into the motorcyclist.
It seems absurd, right? Yet, this scenario happens regularly. And as a motorcyclist, you need to be prepared for it.
Why Does This Happen?
Example: The Cat Experiment
Imagine an experiment where a hungry cat sits in a room with electrodes connected to its brain. A metronome is ticking, and with every tick, the cat’s brain activity spikes—showing that it hears the sound.
Now, introduce a mouse into the room. Suddenly, the cat’s brain stops reacting to the metronome, even though the sound continues. Why? Because the cat’s brain has filtered out the “irrelevant” noise to focus entirely on the mouse.
This phenomenon is called selective attention—the brain’s ability to filter out unimportant information to concentrate on what it deems essential. This principle has been studied extensively in experiments, including those by Walter Hess, who explored how brain stimulation influences animal behavior.
Example: The Invisible Gorilla Test
Selective attention also affects humans. Consider the famous “Invisible Gorilla Test” by Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris. In this experiment, participants watch two teams playing basketball and are asked to count how many passes the team in black makes.
Midway through the experiment, a person in a gorilla suit walks into the middle of the game, pounds their chest, and leaves.
Surprisingly, 40% of participants fail to notice the gorilla. They’re so focused on counting passes that even something as obvious as a gorilla becomes invisible.
For those who know about the gorilla, other details—like walls changing color—also go unnoticed. This demonstrates how selective attention narrows our focus to specific tasks.
Link to the Invisible Gorilla Test
Tunnel Vision and Attention
We live surrounded by millions of objects, but our brain prioritizes only what aligns with our current goal. Everything else fades into the background.
For example, if you’re making breakfast, you’ll focus on the eggs, pan, and butter while ignoring the rest of the kitchen clutter.
This is called tunnel vision—focusing on one thing while ignoring everything else. If you’re paying attention to everything, it’s more like an LSD trip than a functional way to live.
Vision Structure and the Problem With Motorcyclists
This issue is deeply tied to how our vision works. Our eyes provide detailed focus only in the center of our gaze, while peripheral vision is blurry and detects motion rather than detail.
If a driver is focused on something large—like a truck—they’ll often ignore smaller objects like motorcyclists. It’s not that they aren’t looking; they simply don’t register the motorcyclist as a threat.
Why Drivers Ignore Motorcyclists
At intersections, drivers’ primary concern is avoiding large, dangerous vehicles like trucks or SUVs. They scan for “big and obvious” threats. Motorcycles often don’t fit this mental filter.
Statistically, in one-third of motorcycle-related crashes, drivers report seeing the motorcyclist but failing to recognize them as a hazard.
Motorcyclists Can Miss Things Too
Selective attention isn’t just a problem for car drivers. Motorcyclists can also fail to notice other bikes or smaller hazards. Awareness and prediction are critical for everyone on the road.
What Can Motorcyclists Do?
- Be prepared for drivers to ignore you:
- Reduce your speed.
- Downshift to stay in control.
- Always be ready to brake.
- Make yourself more visible:
- Stand on your pegs to appear larger.
- Perform a quick “S-wave” to catch attention with your headlight.
- Understand the problem:
Your greatest tool is awareness. Know that drivers might see you but not process you as a threat. Recognizing this can help you anticipate and avoid other dangerous situations.
By understanding selective attention and adjusting your behavior accordingly, you can reduce your risk and ride with greater confidence.
