Canaris Posted February 23, 2009 Share After a bit of websearch ("research" on the web, which is shallow but resolves one's guilt about doing it properly in a library) about something else (ie learners attention spans in relation to report structure, I came accross this snippet of information that explains why motorists are correct when the say "I did not see you" Read and weap:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inattentional_blindness obviously it also explains why you never see steamy sex scenes in boring chic flicks or porn in the cosmo mag (it is not that they not their, it is just that we are not expecting it to be there). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droo Posted February 23, 2009 Share A long and involved way of saying that if you don't look, you won't see... same as when you "look" for light beer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canaris Posted February 23, 2009 Share more like, If you are concentration on a particular thing, your mind blots out everything else. Also you don't see what you are not expecting.so the more focused you are, the more you concentrate the greater the chance that you will miss something really important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droo Posted February 23, 2009 Share It's an evolutionary thing, and happens to guys more than girls. We're genetically programmed to "keep our eyes on the prize", often (always?) to the exclusion of all else. It's what makes us good hunters (until we get taken out by that "unimportant" lion in the periphery...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speed Devil Posted February 23, 2009 Share I didn't know that cars can see people. I always thought that task was left up to the dumb tjop behind the steering wheel to look out for pedestrians/cyclists/objects etc. Speed Devil2009-02-23 07:49:14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 23, 2009 Share innocence due to ignorance? I think not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slave Posted February 23, 2009 Share I'm with the fast devil on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droo Posted February 23, 2009 Share I don't think this was meant as a defense (my posts certainly weren't) but more as a warning. Be a Christmas tree. The more visible you are, the less chance you have of becoming pavement pizza. And be prepared for motorists not to notice you. It'll give you that much more of an advantage, instead of saying "he should have" from your hospital bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speed Devil Posted February 23, 2009 Share I don't think this was meant as a defense (my posts certainly weren't) but more as a warning. Be a Christmas tree. The more visible you are' date=' the less chance you have of becoming pavement pizza. And be prepared for motorists not to notice you. It'll give you that much more of an advantage, instead of saying "he should have" from your hospital bed.[/quote'] After reading through the Wikipedia link my honest opinion is that you can be dressed like a christmas tree, gorilla, having a big red "X" your back or whatever, is not going to help much. You will still stand a 33% to 50% chance of being taken out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canaris Posted February 23, 2009 Share Simple reality, Car hard, cyclist soft.No court in the world can give you your life back, and unfortunately you only get one turn. (There is no restart button on life). So, know the "enemy", how does his mind work, how do you get inside his decision making process. How do you stay alive. I doubt only lights will work, it goes about reminding the car driver to "THINK BIKE". I love those stickers. Especially the ones with both the motorcyclist and bicyclist on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trekker Posted February 23, 2009 Share True, true however as a motorcyclist I know that motorists aka "cagers" have this excuse just because they are lazy and preoccupied. A motorcyclist, like a cyclist, does not have the added (false) security that motorists have and that's why the average motorcyclist that lives to be 40, needs to pay attention when riding. On that note, which of you has had a near death emergency where time slowed down? You only realize this way after the fact, when you replay the situation in your head, but is is the coolest (evolutionary) thing. You actually stop hearing completely and everything you see goes into slow-mo. You survive 'cause you have plenty of time to react and do what needs to be done... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed Posted February 23, 2009 Share follow the link the someone else's problem on that page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowta Posted February 23, 2009 Share more like' date=' If you are concentration on a particular thing, your mind blots out everything else. Also you don't see what you are not expecting.so the more focused you are, the more you concentrate the greater the chance that you will miss something really important.[/quote'] Probably been posted sometime before, but here goes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2K0PazZENU&feature=related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNT1 Posted February 23, 2009 Share for light beer... What's that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat-i Posted February 23, 2009 Share Simple reality' date=' Car hard, cyclist soft.No court in the world can give you your life back, and unfortunately you only get one turn. (There is no restart button on life). So, know the "enemy", how does his mind work, how do you get inside his decision making process. How do you stay alive.[/quote'] totally agree with you, konafan.the mantra, when i'm on tar, is 'i am invisible. i am invisible. i am invisible.' even though i'm wearing a jacket that's so bright it looks like it needs batteries, and with lights. i'm far safer now that i know i'm invisible. just, sometimes, an invisible car cut is from somewhere, that's scary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joevan Posted February 23, 2009 Share Many many, years ago, there was a study done on this phenomen, regards motorcyclists. It concluded that the average motorist recognised a car, but did not recognise two poles with a wheel in the middle, which led to the "motorcyclists, lets's keep our headlights on to get thier attention." drive. I agree with this. If you are a cyclist, you will recognise a cyclist, but if you have never ridden a bicycle/motorcycle, the presence of such a strange item on the road, not shaped like a car, just does not register in the motorists mind. How many times have you as a cyclist, yelled at a motorist that pulled out of a stopstreet in front of you only to see the look of absolute amazement on thier faces? They just did not register your presence!!!!!!!!!!!! Moral of the story, make yourself visible, wear bright colors, ride defensively, expect the motorist to not see you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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