By all means, increase your visibility and protection. But don’t be fooled into thinking that simply wearing bright clothing will save you from poor decisions. You need to be careful not to adopt a false sense of confidence because you feel less vulnerable. It’s human nature to let your guard down when you don’t feel threatened (that’s why drivers in large vehicles seem less safety conscious). Sure, protective gear does make you less vulnerable to injury, but not enough to think that you can increase risk taking. A thinking adult realizes that protective gear is intended to prevent injury, not give permission to ride recklessly.
RIDING TERM
G
Stands for G-force, or the force of gravity.
Learn to Look
Let’s discuss the practical aspects of visibility—both yours and that of other drivers. Many riders don’t realize the extent to which eyesight affects motorcycle control and rider confidence. The fact is that you can’t manage risk and hazards if you can’t first see them. Riders who train themselves to look well ahead don’t experience anxiety nearly as often as “near-sighted” riders because they spot potential hazards early to avoid conflict. You will be amazed at how much more secure and in control you will feel if you strive to improve your information-gathering skills. Let’s see how.
Look for Trouble
Visual acuity is much more complex than simply looking ahead. To determine whether you’re headed for trouble, you must actively search for hazards by keeping your eyes moving. Quickly scan left, right, and down at the road surface to spot problems. Your eyes should be in constant motion. Avoid fixating on any one object for more than a second. Also, scan your mirrors and check over your shoulder when changing lanes to identify hazards that might be hidden in your blind spots.
It’s important to keep your eyes up so you can scan well ahead. Riders who scan only in the near distance are often surprised by obstacles or road characteristics that appear “out of nowhere.” In contrast, riders who train themselves to keep their vision “up and out” are able to see hazards much earlier to allow ample time and space to respond. This alone will improve safety and allow a more relaxed and enjoyable ride.
Busy traffic environments or higher speeds require even more aggressive visual scanning. A leisurely rural cruise at the posted speed limit may permit relatively relaxed visual scanning. However, as your rate of speed increases, the time you have to process information becomes condensed as information approaches more rapidly.
Keeping your vision “high” not only helps you spot hazards early, it also positively affects perception of speed. When your eyes scan the distant horizon, the landscape appears to pass by more slowly compared to looking down as the road rushes beneath your tires. A slower perceived rate of speed offers a sense of more time and space to react, therefore minimizing the effects of speed-induced anxiety.
Peripheral vision is as important for spotting hazards. A wide focal field allows you to identify clues about hazards from the side, such as movement that can indicate a car changing lanes or an animal darting from the weeds.
Busy traffic environments require aggressive visual scanning.
Visual Sense
You must develop a sixth sense about line of sight to ensure that you can see all potential hazards and so that others can see you. Get into the habit of recognizing subtle signs that should alert you to threats. Make a concerted effort to scan the landscape and roadway for anything that can turn into a hazard, such as a reflection on the windshield of a car that is rolling toward you. Ask yourself whether the driver sees you and what the are chances that he will accelerate in front of you. What clues tell you that you are safe, and what clues can you recognize that indicate a threat? Evaluate each clue to determine whether you can reliably read what is being communicated. For instance, direct eye contact with the driver may indicate that he sees you, but don’t count on it!
Look well ahead for flashing reflections through vegetation or moving shadows on the road surface that may indicate a nearby vehicle that is on the move. Also, look at the driver’s arms and head for movement that could indicate that he or she is about to either accelerate or steer into your lane. Another tip to help detect early movement is to monitor the top of the front tire of a stationary vehicle wanting to enter the road from the side. As soon as the vehicle rolls, you’ll know it.
Even though the majority of hazards appear in front, don’t forget to frequently scan your mirrors, especially when stopped. And don’t forget to use peripheral vision and make quick, efficient head checks over your shoulder to spot trouble. (We will cover blind spots a bit later.)
Looking versus Seeing
We look whenever our eyes are open, but that doesn’t mean we see what’s in front of us. It’s not unusual for a driver to appear to look directly at a rider just before pulling into his or her path. Perhaps the driver was daydreaming, had poor eyesight, or was focusing on something else behind the rider. Whatever the reason, the driver looked but did not see.
To understand how the brain processes visual information, it’s helpful to understand the difference between looking, seeing, and perceiving. You look in the direction where dangers appear, see that potential hazards are present, and perceive whether the hazard poses enough danger to warrant evasive action. Looking is mostly a mechanical activity, and seeing is what happens when an object gets your attention. Visual perception is what causes your brain to react to keep you safe.
Following Distance
One factor that can prevent you from seeing hazards is riding too close behind other cars and trucks. Riders who follow too closely often find themselves dealing with hazards that appear “suddenly” and often too late to prevent a crash.
Ample following distance provides a wider angle of view to see past the vehicle and allows other drivers to see you. One easy way to determine an appropriate following distance is to use the 2-second method. As soon as the vehicle ahead passes a fixed roadside object, begin counting “one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two.” You should complete your count before your front tire reaches the same object. It’s important to note that 2 seconds is considered a minimum following distance. More space is required if you’re a new rider, if the surface is slippery, or if you’re riding in a high-risk environment.
Lane Position to See
As motorcyclists, we have the option of riding in the left, center, or right portion of our lane. This gives you the ability to place your bike where you can see farther ahead and where other drivers can see you. Exactly what is the best lane position? In most situations, riding left of the center of your lane makes the most sense. This position allows you to see past the vehicle ahead and gives you a good angle of view of the oncoming lane.
Lane position needs to change continually for optimum visibility. One situation that may require a change in lane position is when you see a waiting driver on a side street to your right who will not see you if you stay in the center or left lane position. In this case, it makes sense to move to the right portion of your lane until you are confident that the driver sees you, and then move away from the car.
Target Fixation
When humans are faced with a threatening situation, we instinctively look at the hazard, which is a response called target fixation. The problem is that looking at a hazard tends to direct us toward the danger, which is why it’s important to consciously look away from the hazard and focus on a safe escape route. In other words, focus on the solution, not the problem.
A common scenario that leads to target fixation is entering