Motorcycles a ‘rare' target
A university research project may go some way to explaining the SMIDSY – “sorry mate I didn't see you” – concept in a more salient lightNew research has found drivers are slower to notice motorcycles when there are fewer of them on the road.
"When motorcycles were high frequency, drivers detected them on average 51m further away, compared to when they were at low frequency," Dr Vanessa Beanland from the Australian National University's (ANU) Research School of Psychology was quoted as saying in the Whitsunday Times.
"At a driving speed of 60 km/h, this allowed the driver an extra three seconds to respond."
Along with colleagues from Monash University and the University of Nottingham, Dr Beanland examined how the frequency of a specific type of vehicle in traffic can influence a driver’s ability to detect and respond to them.
They used a driver simulator to measure how quickly drivers saw motorcycles and buses on roads, with 40 adult drivers taking part. Half of the group encountered a high frequency of motorcycles and fewer buses, and half encountered fewer motorcycles and more buses.
"Being able to accurately see and identify objects around us is crucial to ensuring safe driving and avoiding collisions," Dr Beanland says.
"The results suggest that drivers have more difficulty detecting vehicles and hazards that are rare, compared to objects that they see frequently."
The research was published in the Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics journal.
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
