Conspiracy Theory Research Paper

Words: 410
Pages: 2

It's not easy being a motorcyclist. Motorcycles lack the stability, steel cage protection, and mass of a car or truck. They also seem invisible to a lot of motorists. While some collisions between cars and motorcycles are caused by a distracted driver, many occur because the motorcyclist was not seen.

Although the motorist's eye sees the motorcycle, it fails to register in the brain. This phenomenon of motorcycle blindness has made some bikers wonder if it's done deliberately. However, one does not have to enter the world of conspiracy theory to find an explanation. The problem is better explained by the nature of human perception and how our automatic driving reflexes are trained.

Cars and Trucks Outnumber Motorcyclists

Reflexes and ingrained driving habits are built through repetition. Because cars and trucks outnumber motorcyclists, the motorist is trained through endless repetition to look for and see other cars and trucks. This means that in a busy traffic situation when the motorist must rely heavily on reflexes and habits, the odd motorcycle isn't seen.
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Many stationary things that pass by our field of vision as we drive, are not threats and are therefore filtered out of our perception. These are often tall vertical things such as trees and sign posts. They have thin profiles where they are fairly tall compared to their width. In short, the brain gets trained to react to horizontal lines and filters out vertical lines.

Unfortunately, this phenomenon makes the motorcyclist's vertical profile less noticeable. Bikers can make themselves more "horizontal" by installing running lights that are horizontally spaced far apart. They should also apply reflective tape horizontally to their bikes, helmets, and clothing.

The Motorcyclist's Small Size Works against