SMIDSY. Why do cars pull out in front of motorcycles?

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]So, this subject is probably one that bothers most motorcyclists most of all, and rightly so.

[00:00:14]So, some years ago, I published a video on this. Smidsy, sorry, mate, I didn't see you. I think it's probably the thing that motorcyclists fear most is someone just pulling out in front of them when you're traveling along with priority on a major road and someone comes out of a drive or a junction into your path.

[00:00:34]So, the content of this video is a lot of what I published previously, but I thought it was well worth just revising it a little bit and getting it published out there again as it is such a common occurrence and it is something that does bother people quite a lot. Now, interestingly, if we look at one of the main reasons that people fail their driving test, it's because of ineffective observations at junctions.

[00:01:01]And when we look at the highest reported causation of collisions on our roads, it is due to misjudging the speed or the position of other road users at junctions.

[00:01:14]So there's a lot of correlation here between what goes on at junctions, how well we observe, how well we interpret, and what we do. It makes it a very high-risk area.

[00:01:26]Now, very often when we're looking at this, it's very easy, especially as a motorcyclist, to go car drivers fault.

[00:01:33]Car drivers don't see us. They pull out in front of us. They're not paying attention. And there's probably a good element of truth in that. However, it's not all quite as clear as it first looks. And in this video, we'll go on to look at a couple of areas that you may not be aware of, that you may not have considered. And as a motorcyclist particularly, it might make you think twice about the way that you ride when you're aware of a junction. Now, when I talk about junctions in this video, it's not just a well signposted painted junction with stop or give way lines. It could be an entrance to a farmer's field. It could be someone's driveway.

[00:02:12]It could be a petrol station. Anywhere that anybody can enter your path, I consider a junction. And I consider you have to have some thought about what may happen.

[00:02:28]So for most of us, we don't think anything about vision. It's just there.

[00:02:33]We take it for granted. We look, we see, we do what we need to do. But actually the relationship between the eyes and the brain is very very complex.

[00:02:42]And it's only when you start looking into things like why do people fall out in front of me? Why do people not see me? Do you sometimes question it a little bit more.

[00:02:54]So when driving the way we use our eyes is really important.

[00:03:00]And use of our eyes is like any other part of our body. It can be enhanced and trained to perform at a higher level.

[00:03:07]So if you gain that knowledge and you practice in the right way, you improve the way that that part of your body works. And it is no different with the eyes and the brain.

[00:03:19]We have a number of different eye movements and I'm not going to go into those in detail because it's all quite technical and I'm not a neuroscientist or a doctor but they do explain why we do get involved sometimes in collisions such as smidzes. driving, we rely on direct vision to identify hazards, but also our peripheral vision is really useful.

[00:03:54]So, peripheral vision acts as a cue for direct vision.

[00:03:58]And while I'm sitting here watching these lovely motorcycles go past, I'm doing what we call smooth pursuit movements. I'm looking at a bike and I'm following it through with a nice smooth eye movement. Now, interestingly, smooth pursuit movements are very difficult for an untrained observer to do in the absence of a moving target.

[00:04:22]One of our most common eye movement is called a secade. It's where it jumps from point A to point B.

[00:04:31]And these can very often explain why people don't see us at junctions.

[00:04:39]So when the eye movement moves from point A and back to point B again, it's quite a rapid type of movement.

[00:04:48]So we see clearly once the eye rests and fixes on a point, the gap in between is blurred and the eye rests and fixes on another point and it'll come back again and do exactly the same thing.

[00:05:04]The problem with that eye movement at junctions is that the bit in between is blurred and the brain doesn't always register exactly what is in that gap. So what it does is it fills the gap in with what it may expect to see, what it may have seen from a previous view.

[00:05:26]In that respect, if something suddenly happens within that blurred area of vision, if the brain and the eye are unlikely to pick up on it and we get what we call change blindness. So a change from our direct point of view is a period of blindness.

[00:05:45]We don't notice it because of the way the brain functions in conjunction with the eyes. But that is why very often people say can see that bike because of course a bike is a very small item isn't it? Especially on the road and the further are further you are away from it. So if we're aware of this phenomenon and of course it's not restricted just to car drivers it's any human being. It can apply to us motorcyclists as well.

[00:06:08]That can explain why we don't get seen.

[00:06:12]So as an observer, if we come up to a junction, if we move our head in conjunction with our eyes, which we we do as drivers, if we move the head very rapidly left and right, that exacerbates that problem of change blindness, if we learn to turn the head just a little bit slower and pick up on the detail in between, and if we can train our eyes to use smooth pursuit movements, it's much easier to get more information in that is accurate and therefore we hopefully won't miss anything.

[00:06:46]There's a lot of information on the internet about the biology and the science behind how the brain and the eyes work. It's far more complicated than I'm going to even attempt to go into here in a video.

[00:06:59]But if you do a bit of research on circad eye movements and driving, you will find some really interesting information.

[00:07:07]So before we go any further, I just ask you if you like my channel, if you like the videos, if you find them useful, please would you like, subscribe, share, and hype my videos. Your interaction, your comments, which are always appreciated, help other motorcyclists.

[00:07:23]It helps me reach out to more bikers around the world and particularly in the UK. If you'd like to support my channel, I'm also on buy me a coffee and the link is in the description. Thank you for watching my videos. is I appreciate your support.

[00:07:40]So the looming effect is a situation where a vehicle in the distance looks quite small and it stays small for quite some time but suddenly it will appear to be bigger. So many people who have pulled out in front of vehicles, one of the first things they say is it suddenly appeared.

[00:08:01]So this looming effect is made all the worse if you're traveling at very high speed because in the distance you look quite small for quite some time. But then as you get very close to the viewer your image size increases dramatically and of course by that time it's too late. And if this bothers somebody this can also cause a bit of freeze. So, if someone's just about to pull out in front of you and they suddenly see you, they're likely to apply the brakes and this blocks your path.

[00:08:33]At 60 mph, we don't have a lot of time to react.

[00:08:50]So, one factor that we must think about when riding is camouflage.

[00:08:55]So, I've got a fluuro yellow helmet and a high viz jacket. I'm not going to get into the fors and against of high viz cuz I know there's lots of different views on it. If the color of your clothing and your bike matches the background when seen from another road user's perspective, then you're camouflaged. So, it doesn't matter what color it is.

[00:09:16]If you're in black clothing on a black bike and there's a dark shadowy background, you're camouflaged. If you're in hi vis and there's a bright sunset maybe or a yellowy sky or you're in front of a yellow lorry, you're camouflaged.

[00:09:31]So, first of all, you need to be aware of that fact. Are you blending in with your environment?

[00:09:38]Now, we've also got a phenomenon called motion camouflage or motion blindness if you like. There are some really interesting articles on the internet about how our eyes work and about how our brain interprets the information from the eyes.

[00:10:00]As a motorcyclist, I think it's quite important that we have at least a basic understanding of what goes on. So, when we talk about motion camouflage and judging speed and distance, it is much easier to confuse something speed or distance when looking at them square on.

[00:10:18]Now, as we increase that angle sideways and we start to see the vehicles in a more sideways direction, we're able to judge speed and distance a lot easier. If the approaching vehicle has the same background, it's very difficult to see that that vehicle is moving initially and our line of sight doesn't change.

[00:10:42]And if we were to keep moving in front of that vehicle, that vehicle would have the same effect. Whereas, if we move sideways, we can now see the movement quite easily. So, our eyes detect that movement and become a lot more aware.

[00:10:54]So, we can see with these vehicles coming down here. I mean, visibility is great today, but you imagine in certain situations it's not great.

[00:11:04]If you blend in with your background and the human eye has only got direct vision to you, then it's very easy for the observing driver to suffer from motion camouflage and they won't see you until the last moment, which is of course when the looming effect takes over and by which time that is all too late.

[00:11:24]Another phenomenon we get with the human eye is that staring, lack of blinking can also create a form of motion blindness.

[00:11:34]So, I'm going to put a little link in here for you to have a look at this website. It may be of interest to show you how the human eyes work.

[00:11:42]So, the more you stare, the easier it is to lose sight of an object that is actually there. Blinking refreshes the eye and allows that new image to reach the brain by the eye.

[00:11:56]So if you research also on the internet a thing called the troxler effect, you may find that to be quite interesting reading as well.

[00:12:07]So now that we know some of the factors affecting the human condition, let's look at it from a car driver's perspective. Now, a lot of motorcyclists are already car drivers. Some, like me, started out as bikers first, and others were car drivers before they started to ride motorcycles.

[00:12:30]So, let's just look at this junction here.

[00:12:33]So you'll notice with a car like this, we have quite large B-pillars and quite large Apillars and that can really contribute as can the central rear view mirror and even the A-pillar on the other side. When you're looking, you can very easily lose things in your view unless you move about.

[00:12:53]It's very easy to lose sight of things.

[00:12:56]Now, a lot of car drivers sit in the car, they'll have a glance there and a glance there and that's it, and they'll pull out.

[00:13:02]As a motorcyclist coming down that road, you'd need to be extremely cautious because if the car driver is also distracted by the radio, a telephone, passengers, children in the back shouting and screaming, whatever it might be, they may be rushing. A little glance like that before they pull out cuz they're in a hurry, they're not going to see anything at all of you. you could easily be caught somewhere within the structure of the vehicle or just the camouflage blindness that we spoke about as well.

[00:13:36]So, when you're on a motorcycle, if you've all you've ever ridden is a motorcycle, you won't appreciate things from a car driver's perspective.

[00:13:45]But vision in some cars is really badly restricted.

[00:13:50]Some cars are better than others.

[00:13:56]That's why you don't want to be lingering in blind spots. A lot of car drivers will just check their mirrors and they'll change lane here. For example, I've done a blind spot check like I would on my motorbike, but I have to look through that B-pillar. If drivers are not doing their blind spot checks, lifesavers, that puts you at a massive risk if you're deciding to hang in that area, in that zone.

[00:14:19]So, as we've said, the real risk comes to you and you're on the main road, the major road, and the junctions and the side roads are very obstructed in their view. So, as we look at this junction here, as a car driver, I can't see anything at this point to the right and absolutely nothing to the left. So, let's come up to the giveway line.

[00:14:42]So, this is stopping at the giveway line.

[00:14:45]So, my view at the moment, if I was, even if I was turning right, you can see that the view is horrendous. Sat back in my chair, I can't see anything. And in fact, I have to sit forward to see beyond that B-pillar.

[00:14:59]So, now I'm going to have to creep out to get a view. And it'd be exactly the same as if I was turning right.

[00:15:07]What you've got to think is as a motorcyclist, if you come flying down this road, that car driver, and it could even be a fellow biker, although they generally get a slightly better view, would not have a chance.

[00:15:21]So, we'll now look at this junction again, but when turning right, just imagine you're on your motorcycle and you're coming from my left.

[00:15:33]At the moment, I can't see you at all.

[00:15:36]And if I stop correctly at the giveway line, that's the view I've got of you at the moment.

[00:15:42]So, I wouldn't like to measure that distance, but it's pretty short. So, turning right, I have to come out very, very carefully. And you can see there that the view I've got is awful. It only breaks at the last moment. Now, I have to come out at some point. I have to make a decision.

[00:16:02]That's why you have to slow down when you're on the main road.

[00:16:06]Because if you come through there at 40 in this case, or if it was a national 60, I as a car driver have got very little chance of dealing with you traveling at 60. So just because you can legally do that speed doesn't mean it is a safe speed. And this contributes massively to why we have collisions at junctions.

[00:16:29]Okay. So we'll now look at this junction from the motorcyclist perspective.

[00:16:34]So, the junction is in a 40 mph limit, which means you are traveling at 40 mph, 18 m/s, and it's going to take you around about 36 m to stop. So, I've dropped my speed down. Let's just have a look. I'm going to go really slowly. See how little we can see of that junction. Now, if you were flying across there at or in excess of the speed limit, that could cause you a problem, couldn't it? You couldn't stop if someone pulled out in front of you.

[00:17:03]Yet again, a classic example why you should always slow down when you're passing a junction, when you don't have a good view of the road leading up to it. So, in this video, we've looked at a few areas that you may or may not have been aware of that contribute to you not being seen on your motorcycle and which can be quite critical where junctions are involved. So, I hope it's been useful and I hope you'll sort of factor this into your ride. A lot of my videos contain a lot of hints and tips to keep you safe. Anyway, but a later video will look a little bit more closely at how maybe we can minimize or reduce the chances of being involved in an incident like this. As always, I'd always be interested to hear in your experiences and whether you've had anything like this happen to you. If you've got any video clips you'd like to send me showing a potential problem, it's always much appreciated. So until next time, ride safe and take