This week I read an article in an Industrial Engineering related journal called Human Factors.
The article investigated the use of daytime running lights on motorcycles and its effect on visibility, or in other words, how "conspicuous" the motorcycle is. I ride a motorcycle so I found this article very interesting.
The article argues that motorcycles are inconspicuous; therefore the ability of other drivers to detect them and respond effectively is reduced. A study was conducted with 75 volunteers that watched video clips of different roadways and scenarios. The participants were asked to indicate when they saw a potentially hazardous situation such as pedestrians, motorcycles, or traffic cones. Their reaction times were collected and analyzed. The results show that there is significant correlation between motorcycles with daytime running lights and the driver of the other vehicle's ability to respond to them effectively. The study also shows that driver's ability to react properly decreases with age (that one's probably obvious).
The lights on my motorcycle are on if it's running, so hopefully I am more visible. Has anyone ever had any close calls with a motorcycle or moped while driving due to them being hard to see?
I think that mopeds and motorcycles are harder to see because they have a much smaller profile than cars and trucks. At night, I can usually pick out motorcycles, but they are only recognizable when they get close to you. As far as daytime running lights go, if most car manufacturers are adopting them to make spotting a vehicle easy, then it would certainly help me to see a motorcycle.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty interesting because i wouldn't think that a single light on during the day would make much difference. I do know that I have had multiple close calls due to a cars headlight being out and so I thought it was a motorcycle. In that case, I thought the width of the vehicle was thinner than it really was. It's good to see that experiments are done concerning motorcycles to try and minimize motorcycle accidents.
ReplyDeleteI've never had any close calls with a motorcycle except for maybe running into the back of them, which I haven't ever done thankfully. I do know that when I'm driving I do see motorcycles with lights better than ones that don't have running lights. Usually I don't move over on top of them but only because I hear them, not see them.
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