Can You See Me Now?

It happened again! Car on my left, at a stop sign, pulls out  in front of me. If I didn’t anticipate he would do that, results would have been different.

I pulled the driver over and said, “…okay, I know you didn’t see, my question is why?” The driver was engaged in conversation with his girlfriend and became distracted.

Often, when we investigate crashes, we attribute cause to human error or a violation of the vehicle code without considering additional contributing factors. The above incident is a classic “failure to yield”, by the book.  But, what caused him not being able to see me? 

Human factors are complex when trying to identify all the possible causes. Indeed, there may be a combination of causes.

Inattentional Blindness 

Simply stated, inattentional blindness is the failure to see an object because attention is not focused on it. This is a very pervasive condition and a contributing factor to many crashes.

Why do diligent, prudent drivers fail to see the obvious? How does inattentional blindness occur?

The direct answer is sensory overload. Our senses are bombarded with a large amount of input, our minds cannot process it all. The condition becomes worse if we engage in memory recall or deep thought.

We deal with this by the “filter of attention”. In other words, we quickly examine sensory input and select a small percentage for conscious perception. The remaining information is lost or unnoticed or unremembered.

Inattentional blindness causes crashes when attention mistakenly filters away important information.

Conspicuity

Generally, there are two factors which determine the conspicuousness of an object.

1. Sensory
2. Cognitive

The most important sensory factor is contrast. We see objects not because of their brightness but because of their contrast with the background or foreground. The higher the contrast the more conspicuous the object.

No Contrast

Contrast Created by High Visibility Vest & White Helmet

 

Cognitive conspicuity is just as important for drawing attention. We are likely to notice things which are relevant to us. When you are reading or scanning an area your attention will be drawn to what is relevant to you.

Inattentional blindness often occurs because part of our attention is devoted to some secondary task. It can also occur from performing routine tasks, such as driving on familiar roads. We become bored, have a low expectation of an unusual event and we stop paying close attention.

Expectation has a powerful effect on our ability to see and notice. Mistakes or misjudgments occur when something new or unusual occurs outside what is familiar.

The driver who hits a pedestrian while turning into the same driveway for years has unconsciously concluded there wasn’t anything of importance in that area.

Collisions attributable to “inattentional blindness” are usually caused by a combination of factors:

• low conspicuity
• divided attention
• no expectations

Because inattentional blindness is a mental process mistakes are bound to occur. We need to be aware of it and make any necessary adjustments to prevent overload. 

Most bikers are typically dressed in dark clothes (black leather, helmets, chaps, etc.). This will make you vulnerable because of low conspicuity. 

Always be aware of your background and foreground, especially with larger vehicles which may cause low contrast. 

You can avoid low contrast by:

• Creating contrast with high visibility garments
• When stopped, keep brake lights illuminated

• Flash/flicker brake lights by repetitive tapping (click on image below for a video link)

 

• If you are traveling in a straight line and approaching a car you suspect is not paying attention, use counter steering to make quick latteral movements to draw attention (left, right, left)

REMEMBER

• Be conspicuous or create contrast to match the situation
• Be aware of your foreground and background
• Concentrate on riding and minimize sensory overload yourself