New Jersey motorcyclists like you understand that the roads are a dangerous place. You know this better than almost anyone else on the road. Why is that? Unfortunately, motorcyclists have a higher rate of serious and fatal crashes. This exists in direct comparison to other motor vehicle drivers.
It is often the behavior of other drivers that endangers you. Today we will look at one specific type of dangerous driving behavior. This is inattentional blindness.
The phenomenon of inattentional blindness
The American Psychological Association discusses the impact of inattentional blindness. Inattentional blindness is a psychological phenomenon. It occurs when you hyper-focus on one object or thing. In paying that one thing such close attention, you become “blind” to everything else around you. This can lead to crashes.
How inattentional blindness affects drivers
You can see this often in new drivers. There is so much to focus on while driving. It takes a while to learn how to multitask and divide your attention in a safe way. New drivers often run red lights or hit animals on the road because they are focusing too much on speed or traffic. They do not yet know that focusing too much is as harmful as not focusing enough.
But all drivers can fall prey to the trappings of inattentional blindness. Even drivers with many years of experience end up distracted at times. This puts you at risk as a motorcyclist. You are already hard for other drivers to spot. Any distraction on their end makes a crash even more likely. If you drive defensively and keep this in mind, it can help protect you on the road.