Interesting article on the BBC News website BBC News - Why do radiologists miss dancing gorillas? today about how people who are looking for something very specific in a scene (in that case radiologists looking at CT scans trying to spot cancer) can fail to spot something really weird and anomalous (an image of a dancing gorilla which had been added to a scan picture) because of the way our attention works - the difference between looking at something and perceiving it. It provides a possible explanation for the SMIDSY phenomenon. Is it that bikers are the "dancing gorillas" - that car/bus/truck/van drivers are focused on looking for other large/4 wheel vehicles, not expecting bikes, and so fail to see or focus their attention on us before pulling out into the road, overtaking or changing lanes? And what can be done to drum into other road users that they should be looking for bikes as well - that we're not oddities (dancing gorillas) but something to be expected and thus part of what they need to be prioritising their attention on. The idea that even when someone looks right at the "anomaly" they fail to perceive it, to me seems to support the view that it's not whether you're wearing black or high vis yellow that matters. (I've read plenty of anecdotes about bikers hit even if when lit up like a Christmas tree and in head to toe high vis (e.g. police bikers). Interested in people's thoughts.
I don't think there are any breakthroughs there, we've always known we're invisible to many car drivers simply because they're not looking for us. I guess the dancing gorilla theory is plausible enough, but it doesn't really change anything; I don't know if recent road safety ads have changed much either, in the same way that gory anti-smoking campaigns don't put off smokers. It does however back up my view that there's no point dressing up like a hi-viz christmas tree when your potential killer ain't even looking...
Was that meant to be serious?? I got the correct answer and saw the gorilla. I can't see how you'd not see it.
You saw it because you were looking for it, because it's the title of the thread. Re being noticed by other road users, you have to do something to disrupt their attention/thought processes. Hi viz is supposed to do it, but often clearly doesn't. So I am in favour of musical exhausts, within reasonable limits obviously. i also think its a great pity that so many cars now have daytime headlights. This has further reduced the visibility of bikers. Until recently, headlight on in the day meant " bike" now it probably just means "car" again. We're back to square one. I have even noticed that I now feel compelled to use my car headlights in less than perfect visibility for fear of becoming invisible. I have never used them so much in daylight as this winter. People are beginning to think, I am sure, "if it hasn't got headlights, it's not there".
It is indeed serious. There are an amazing number of people who missed it and still miss it. That is a different version of the video I originally saw however.
Headlights are probably the better option for bikers, hi-viz doesn't work and loud exhausts certainly don't, but the biggest weapon in a biker's armoury is common sense. The vast majority of car/bike interfaces are not caused by selective sight or inconspicuousness, but simply by the people involved not looking, or interpreting the situation wrongly.
I agree that in the final analysis, the only thing that consistently saves you is the expectation that everyone will pull out on you and the drawing up of a plan B for this eventuality.
That sounds suspiciously like riding defensively, and riding defensively is no fun at all:frown: Just having a bit of common sense when nearing junctions and when overtaking is all it takes.
I wouldn't worry too much, I could have had all the plan b's in the world, but if you don't even have time to close the throttle its irrelevant...
I dont know what the answer is. My own experience is that I am far more aware of bikes because I ride one Before that I wasn't even giving bikes a thought when driving. What I do notice also that I look for bikes if someone flashes me into a turning because they have a habit of running down the inside of traffic My biggest near miss involved a micra I saw the car approaching the entrance of the car park, its an open space no trees with a barrier. So I decided I would go into the right hand lane of dual carriage way accelerate and get passed it before it got on the carriage way. Only the micra decided it was going to have the lane I was in crossing the first lane I obviously slowed down skidding a little as I had been accelerating and managed to pull into left lane When I went past the two women were chatting to each other oblivious to me being there at all They hadn't a clue I was the only one in the lane but I guess they only saw the cars. Sadly we have to ride anticipating what a driver is going to do and that they probably won't see us. Even when you have eye contact they seem to think they have time to pull out I wonder if a bike and sidecar would be seen better because it's the width drivers expect to see?
It's interesting to observe what happens when a police car, ambulance or fire engine passes along a road through traffic at speed with blues and twos on. The majority of car drivers quickly notice and pull over out of the way as far as they can, but a large minority pay no attention at all. They are concentrating so little on what is going on, and react so slowly to events, that they carry on regardless. And if they don't notice or react to emergency vehicles, what hope is there they will notice or care about a bike?
