One of the most common things people say after causing a motorcycle accident is simply that they did not see the motorcycle. This could happen when someone turns left in front of a motorcycle, for example, or merges into the motorcycle on the interstate. The driver who hit the bike is shocked because they had no idea that the bike was there to start with.
In some cases, this actually causes drivers to blame motorcyclists. Someone who did not see an approaching bike until they made a dangerous left turn, for instance, may say that the motorcyclist must have been speeding. That is why it felt like the bike came out of nowhere.
Inattentional blindness
What is actually happening, in many cases, is that the driver is suffering from inattentional blindness.
This simply means that they are not paying close enough attention to their surroundings to take in all of the details. Maybe the driver glanced left for a split second, but they did not take enough time to really look at the road and see if a motorcycle was coming.
To speed up visual processing, the human brain often prioritizes certain things. Drivers will see what they expect to see. The brain then filters out other information or fills in the gaps in the driver’s vision. If the driver did not expect a motorcycle to be approaching, they may look directly at the bike without seeing it.
Compensation for serious injuries
Motorcycle accidents often cause severe and potentially life-changing injuries. Those who have been injured due to another driver’s negligence need to know how to seek financial compensation.
