Motion Induced Blindness and you

[Throwdown!]

(Posted this in Motorcycle Council of NSW by mistake)

Motion Induced Blindness

This is an interesting email I received saying it explains one major reason why people in cars can look right at you on a motorcycle and not see you.

I can understand this for a pilot, but I'm yet to be convinced that when a car driver is looking right at you on your bike and can't see you, it has more to do with them being a right w@nker than it does with Motion Induced Blindness ('Men In Black' prevents using the acronym 'MIB').

Anyway...from a former Naval Aviator.

"This is a great illustration of what we were taught about scanning outside the cockpit when I went through training back in the '50s. We were told to scan the horizon for a short distance, stop momentarily, and repeat the process. I can remember being told why this was the most effective technique to locate other aircraft.

It was emphasized (repeatedly) to NOT fix your gaze for more than a couple of seconds on any single object. The instructors, some of whom were WWII veterans with years of experience, instructed us to continually "keep our eyes moving and our head on a swivel" because this was the best way to survive, not only in combat, but from peacetime hazards (like a midair collision) as well.

We basically had to take the advice on faith (until we could experience for ourselves) because the technology to demonstrate it didn't exist at that time."
Link below for a demonstration

http://www.msf-usa.org/motion.html

[Ward P]

Great optical illusion.

[BusaJim]

Like the old saying you look but you don't see

[revhead]

my favorite , sun was in my eyes!

[CaptainRob]

Headlight modulators break the cycle. Got em on both my rides.

[Belzybob]

"This is a great illustration of what we were taught about scanning outside the cockpit when I went through training back in the '50s. We were told to scan the horizon for a short distance, stop momentarily, and repeat the process. I can remember being told why this was the most effective technique to locate other aircraft.

It was emphasized (repeatedly) to NOT fix your gaze for more than a couple of seconds on any single object. The instructors, some of whom were WWII veterans with years of experience, instructed us to continually "keep our eyes moving and our head on a swivel" because this was the best way to survive, not only in combat, but from peacetime hazards (like a midair collision) as well.

We basically had to take the advice on faith (until we could experience for ourselves) because the technology to demonstrate it didn't exist at that time."

This is currently taught in every air force I've had dealings with and is exactly what I was taught. A continuous sweep of the head doesn't work, it is the look/pause that allows early identification of the moving target due to relative motion.

I should also mention that a overly impacted grogan may also induce motion blindness as you squeeze and grunt!

[storm]

Also maybe drivers are not looking up but rather at the road in front of them

[Belzybob]

I've posted this a couple of times in the past, but I'm sure there will be one or two that haven't seen it. There have been a few other versions, but this is the best:

http://youtu.be/sUvUo79LG_c

[storm]

They hear me coming.hot bodies slash cut I have run on 2 bikes , traffic stops .lol

[Banter]