The blind spot

[dpex]

Ya just can't get to my age, alive, after all the mad shit I've done, without learning a bit, here and there.

And so, on the back of the missive about dehydration I'd like to impart a bit of knowledge about another, very deadly issue.

Your blind-spot.

If you sit and stare at a particular point then hold up your thumb upright at arms-length, then move said thumb left and right, you will find a point where you can no longer see your thumb.

It's normally a vector of about 7 degrees. This is your blind-spot. And you have one in each eye...presuming you have two eyes which function more or less normally.

The old catch-cry of, "I just didn't see you," has a foundation in human frailty, AKA, the blind-spot.

You arrive at an intersection. Your mind is elsewhere...the pretty blonde to the right, the bosses missive about sharpening up, the mortgage is due but the funds ain't there, the fucking IRD is all over you, you just found out your 'snip' didn't work and there's now yet another child on the way, and just to make matters worse, you just got a note from the school asserting your son has taken to beating up those who bully him.

All this is traversing you mind. Your eyes are wide open, but they ain't seeing everything.

Poom! From the right comes a cager who has right of way. You didn't see her because she was in your blind-spot. Next minute she's right there.

"where the fuck did you come fro?"...splat.

It's really important to keep your eyes moving. As you do your blind-spot moves out of the way.

Again. I've suffered the near-end in gliders. Fixated on what I'm doing (mainly trying to stay centred in a miserable thermal) tired, dehydrated, you name it. Poom! There's another aircraft which apparently came out of nowehere. Or a car, bike, truck, train, which my peripheral vision didn't see cos it was in my blind-spot.

We all have two blind-spots. There's no way in the world can you determine their exact position, therefore you have to keep your eyes moving, all of the time.

You'll be amazed at what appears from apparently nowhere, when you start working your eyes.

BTW: Dehydration exacerbates (makes worse) the blind-spot, because you go into tunnel vision.

Do the experiment. Hold out you right arm, thumb up. Stare directly ahead. Then move your thumb left and right. You'll find the point when you can no longer see you thumb. That's the serious danger point. That's the place where a cager is in, presuming you've seen him. But you didn't....Splat.

The Blind spot. Arguably, the biggest danger to bikers before cages were invented.

[Road Guardian]

It's really important to keep your eyes moving.

If there is anything you can take away from this article (good job dpex). It is that. Keep your eyes moving, and you will reduce you chances of having a collision, which anything.

Also on the tunnel vision thing, the faster you go the more your vision becomes narrowed. So the faster you go, the more you have to keep your eyes moving. Both sideways, (left and right) and forwards, remember the 12 second rule?

[rainman]

...presuming you have two eyes which function more or less normally.

So that's what I'm doing wrong then...

Good article (also the dehydration one) - cheers!

[DUCATI*HARD]

ya just can't get to my age, alive, after all the mad shit i've done, without learning a bit, here and there.

And so, on the back of the missive about dehydration i'd like to impart a bit of knowledge about another, very deadly issue.

Your blind-spot.

If you sit and stare at a particular point then hold up your thumb upright at arms-length, then move said thumb left and right, you will find a point where you can no longer see your thumb.

It's normally a vector of about 7 degrees. This is your blind-spot. And you have one in each eye...presuming you have two eyes which function more or less normally.

The old catch-cry of, "i just didn't see you," has a foundation in human frailty, aka, the blind-spot.

You arrive at an intersection. Your mind is elsewhere...the pretty blonde to the right, the bosses missive about sharpening up, the mortgage is due but the funds ain't there, the fucking ird is all over you, you just found out your 'snip' didn't work and there's now yet another child on the way, and just to make matters worse, you just got a note from the school asserting your son has taken to beating up those who bully him.

All this is traversing you mind. Your eyes are wide open, but they ain't seeing everything.

Poom! From the right comes a cager who has right of way. You didn't see her because she was in your blind-spot. Next minute she's right there.

"where the fuck did you come fro?"...splat.

It's really important to keep your eyes moving. As you do your blind-spot moves out of the way.

Again. I've suffered the near-end in gliders. Fixated on what i'm doing (mainly trying to stay centred in a miserable thermal) tired, dehydrated, you name it. Poom! There's another aircraft which apparently came out of nowehere. Or a car, bike, truck, train, which my peripheral vision didn't see cos it was in my blind-spot.

We all have two blind-spots. There's no way in the world can you determine their exact position, therefore you have to keep your eyes moving, all of the time.

You'll be amazed at what appears from apparently nowhere, when you start working your eyes.

Btw: Dehydration exacerbates (makes worse) the blind-spot, because you go into tunnel vision.

Do the experiment. Hold out you right arm, thumb up. Stare directly ahead. Then move your thumb left and right. You'll find the point when you can no longer see you thumb. That's the serious danger point. That's the place where a cager is in, presuming you've seen him. But you didn't....splat.

The blind spot. Arguably, the biggest danger to bikers before cages were invented.

i dont have a blind spot,,,i move too fast

[FJRider]

Not only the eyes must move, but it pays to move the head as well... dont move the head and tunnel vision sets in. You don't see because you don't/won't look...

A decent set of mirrors is helpful... adjusted properly...

[scracha]

Wot they all said.

Also

Please look over your shoulder before overtaking and changing lanes when in the car or motorcycle. Lotta bikers getting lazy out there and just relying on their mirrors......the quick glance has saved my bacon at least twice.

[Trumpess]

Thank you Dpex

An excellent topic to start the festive season and a timley reminder for the extra busy roads that maybe about to to scare the crappas out of us.

All advice is good advice!

Merry xmas and safe travels to you all!

[trumpy]

For those of you who rely heavily on your peripheral vision be aware that the far reaches of that vision is black and white (the various colour hues fade out at different places) so that bright red car on your far left (or right) is not red to your brain and may just fade into the general scenery. By the time it comes further into your vision and registers as a bright red moving object it may be too late to react and take avoiding action. i.e. move yer head!
And yes, I have done Keith Code's visual exercise and yes, the "middle distance stare" does work most of the time it's just that one time.............

[98tls]

If there is anything you can take away from this article (good job dpex). It is that. Keep your eyes moving, and you will reduce you chances of having a collision, which anything.

Also on the tunnel vision thing, the faster you go the more your vision becomes narrowed. So the faster you go, the more you have to keep your eyes moving. Both sideways, (left and right) and forwards, remember the 12 second rule?

Actually no,never heard of it in 37 years of owning/riding.Do tell.

[sinfull]

Will get ya to show me that one on teusday mate buggered if i cant NOT see it till i lose it out past 180 degrees

[AllanB]

Thanks that explains it all.

The Blind Spot - obviously this is why I cannot find the G-spot.

[SARGE]

presuming you have two eyes which function more or less normally.

thats where my problems start..

[beyond]

He's quite right. Learnt this in the armed forces and did an article on Kiwi bikers a couple of years back. The reason motorists don't see you.

That blind spot is always there. When you look at a brick wall, around the centre of your vision you don't actually see the bricks but your brain fills in what it thinks you should be seeing.

At night particularly, to see anything dead ahead you need to be looking with your peridpheral vision as well, by turning your head from side to side. That's when you are trying to look in the dark, not driving with lights by the way.

[dpex]

Will get ya to show me that one on teusday mate buggered if i cant NOT see it till i lose it out past 180 degrees

You were doing slightly better than 180 degrees when you saw me give you the path to freedom, the other day. But, maybe your ears get in the way, most times. Must be hell to be listening to the coal burning while the real fuel is on it's way:--))

[JohnR]

Actually no,never heard of it in 37 years of owning/riding.Do tell.

The 12 second rule is the basis of searching and scanning technique in advanced driver training and is primarily used to determine the minimum distance you should be looking ahead.
Your vision should be out to a point at least 12 seconds ahead of where you are, you should then "scan" from one side of the road to the other
while bringing your vision back to just in front of you. Then check your mirrors! Repeat.
This should be a continuous process the whole time you are riding/driving.

It is also used to determine a safe distance ahead for overtaking. Because by using 12 seconds (rather than 100 metres advocated in the road code) distance increases with speed.

From memory your field of vision at 90 kmph is a cone of about 3 degrees!
You do the math as they say...I can't be bothered at this time of night.