chiguy
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SuzukiSavage.com Rocks!
Posts: 24
Chicago area
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It seems easy to get upset at other drivers when things like this happens, but it is certainly a factor that the other drivers really don't "see" motorcycles. I think there is a name for that phenomenon (I don't recall it right now), but the mind sometimes doesn't perceive what it is not expecting or looking for. I think we've all seen one or another of those videos where you count the times a team passes a basketball, and some guy in a gorilla suit walks into the middle and waves, but you never see him because you're concentrating on the other action.
There was one time a couple years back where I was riding east (sun was high so not a factor) in a 4 lane divided highway, and someone was in a left turn lane, stopped, ready to turn in front of me. At the point of no return, I saw them start to go. The only thought running through my head was that of buying the farm - there was really no time to do much of any maneuver (and I won't claim to be overly adept at extreme maneuvers anyway.) But all of a sudden, the car stopped, and I passed by without incident. I've always thought that what happened was that they didn't "see" me, but at the last moment, in the back of their brain, something said, "hey, what's that really bright orange thing - that's not supposed to be there", and they realized they should stop. When I ride, I always wear a super bright neon orange armored jacket, and I'm convinced that wearing something so highly visible just might have saved my bacon that day.
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