In some motorcycle accidents, the root cause is that the driver never looked for the motorcycle at all. In fact, you will see billboards and bumper stickers with messages like “Look twice, save a life.” This is to remind drivers to be wary of motorcycles and to check for them before turning, changing lanes and the like.
But there are other motorcycle accidents where the driver does look. In fact, they may look directly at the motorcycle as it approaches them. But, despite doing this, the driver will still make a mistake, such as cutting off the motorcycle. How could they look at it and still make this error? The problem is that they may not have seen it.
Inattentional blindness
The amount of information that your brain is taking in at any given time is enormous. This is especially true when you are driving a vehicle, which is a complex task.
To make this go more smoothly, your brain tries to identify what information is important, and it filters out things that do not seem important. This often leads drivers to see what they expect to see.
When it comes to motorcycles, a driver may not anticipate that one will be approaching. They are expecting to see other full-size vehicles like their own. When they don’t, their brain filters out the smaller motorcycle, and they don’t even notice it.
They are still at fault
Inattentional blindness is a serious problem, but the driver who makes the mistake is still probably at fault, even if they claim they never saw the motorcycle. If you have suffered injuries due to someone else’s negligence, then you need to know how to seek financial compensation.
