A contributing factor in motorcycle crashes at intersections can be inattentional blindness. Drivers may look, but the approaching motorcycle simply doesn’t register.
As auditors and assessors, it’s worth asking:
➡️ Are approach speeds too high for safe decision-making?
➡️ Is the design cluttered with competing visual demands?
➡️ Do layouts make it easier to notice a car/truck than a bike?
➡️ Are there conflict points that increase crash risk, and will the crash forces be above survivable levels?
What we can recommend:
✅ Treatments that lower approach and turning speeds (e.g. raised safety platforms, geometric alterations, road narrowing, variable speed limits).
✅ Simplified conflict points (protected turn phases, clearer sight lines, blocking unsafe movements).
✅ Surface and marking upgrades that improve both detection and rider stability/traction.
Research from Australia and New Zealand (Pammer et al., Wells et al.) shows that inattentional blindness is real and addressable. A Safe System lens helps us turn that knowledge into practical action.
❓ What are your tips to assess and mitigate this?
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The research:
Pammer, K., Sabadas, S., & Lentern, S. (2018). Allocating attention to detect motorcycles: The role of inattentional blindness. Human Factors, 60(1), 5–19.
Wells, S., Mullin, B., Norton, R., Langley, J., Connor, J., Lay-Yee, R., & Jackson, R. (2004). Motorcycle rider conspicuity and crash related injury: Case-control study. BMJ, 328(7444), 857.