Motorcycle crashes can occur for many reasons. Wet pavement or alcohol can both be risk factors. Sometimes, motorcyclists are aggressive or exceed the speed limit, putting themselves at unnecessary risk.
Other times, it is readily apparent that a driver in a larger vehicle was at fault for the collision. Many times, the drivers at fault for motorcycle collisions insist they could not see the motorcycle.
Motorcycles are large and loud, and many riders keep their lights on all day or wear high-visibility gear to draw attention in traffic. Why do drivers insist that it is so difficult to notice motorcycles?
The brain doesn’t consider the motorcycle a threat
A driver might look directly at a motorcycle and never consciously recognize that it is there. That phenomenon is a form of inattentional blindness. When the brain has too much incoming visual information, it focuses attention on what seems to be the most important.
Motorcycles are smaller than four-wheeled vehicles, so they may not command attention the way that a looming pickup truck might. Drivers can account for this psychological phenomenon by intentionally looking for motorcycles and traffic.
The failure to do so makes a motorcycle collision caused by inattentional blindness the fault of a driver. Motorcycle riders who follow the law can end up injured and may face major expenses because other people in traffic don’t prioritize sharing the road safely.
People affected by motorcycle collisions may need help holding the driver at fault accountable. Understanding why they caused the crash can help people as they pursue compensation from a driver.