Line of Sight Negligence
While riding a motorcycle, several senses are actively used for the proper operation of the machine. Our sense of hearing is used to monitor our motorcycle and our immediate surroundings. Our sense of touch is used to control our motorcycle, as well as receive feedback from it in real time. Our sense of sight is used to navigate our machines and to identify safe routes of travel. Which of our senses would you guess to be the most important sense used for risk management? The senses described above were done so in an ascending order of importance. The sense of sound is the least significant, the sense of touch is very important, and sight is the most important. While it is true that the sense of touch is the most influential for the actual riding of the motorcycle, touch cannot identify danger from a distance. The sense of touch is utilized in the moment which does have its uses, but to achieve APE Flow State the individual must be aware of approaching hazards. The winner for detecting incoming danger is the rider’s sense of sight. Taking in light from our surroundings allows us to get the big picture. Sight gives us (in most cases) ample time to assess situations and formulate a strategy for progression. Some of the most threatening situations encountered while riding are when we are not given much warning about an incoming danger. Such situations must be reacted to rapidly by the motorcyclist and carry high levels of risk due to smaller time windows for thinking and acting. In worst case scenarios, there is no time to think, only time to act. With the vulnerable nature of the rider, it is obviously a fantastic practice to avoid small time windows whenever possible. Some of these situations transpire purely due to the indirect forces of Murphy’s Law and cannot be influenced by the rider. That being said, many of these small time window situations are created directly by the way the motorcyclist is riding. Such habits are extremely risky practices and need to be curbed. To avoid risky habits with our sense of sight, we must understand what components are needed to successfully evade a hazard.
Evasion Equation
An ancient survival mechanism built into all creatures is the fight or flight response. When survival is on the line, creatures are wired to fight the threat, or turn and flee. The motorcyclist’s options are aligned with flight or flight. Evasion is the name of the game for the motorcyclist, and we always lose if we pick fights. Every successful evasion contains three ingredients:
- Perception – Recognition of danger
- Reflex – Identifying a plan of action and applying control inputs to change motorcycle operation
- Reaction – Evading the danger with the changed motorcycle operation
Each of these ingredients takes a certain amount of time whether it be time to think or time to act. The faster and more accurately one can perform these steps relates to how efficiently they can identify and control hazards. The reaction is the actual evasion. It refers to the movement of the motorcycle in a fashion to nullify the threat that has been encountered by the rider. The reaction generally takes the most time out of the three steps because it involves changing the operation of the motorcycle physically, whereas the first 2 steps are primarily mental processes.
Reflex is identifying what needs to be done and activating the necessary motorcycle controls to initiate changes in operation. The reflexes of humans are somewhat fixed, but the speed and quality of a rider’s reflexes can be improved by developing a strong connection with the motorcycle and by knowing the best course of action ahead of time for particular emergency situations. Responding to a threat can be greatly impacted when one has to think about the best course of action, or/and is slow to initiate changes in motorcycle operation. With good practice, the reflex part of the equation should be a speedy, thoughtless step.
Perception Reigns Supreme
The last two steps are crucial for an evasion, but do not set the rider up for success by themselves. This Deadly Risk is all about perception. Perception comes down to visually seeing a hazard, and perceiving it as a threat. Specific hazards will be covered extensively in this course which will teach what to look for and how to react. However, the effectiveness of hazard knowledge and risk management are greatly diminished when a hazard is not seen until the last second. Having little or no time to react to a threat greatly increases the risk of the threat. We always want time on our side. Adopting riding behaviour that upholds great sight lines will offer the earliest detection of incoming danger, allowing the most time to formulate and initiate plans. A powerful attribute of motorcycles being small is that it is possible to micromanage lane position, which can result in the best possible Line of Sight around vehicles and objects. This allows the rider to collect large amounts of information from the surroundings to make informed decisions on the fly. Better sight lines = earlier perception times. Earlier perception times = faster reflex and reaction times. The second part to this Deadly Risk is out-pacing Line of Sight. There are situations that will restrict Line of Sight with no countermeasures (night riding, fog, glare, etc.). In these situations, the only option is to slow down to ensure you have enough time to perceive and react to hazards. Unchangeable Line of Sight restriction = speed reduction required. How to gauge Line of Sight vs speed will be covered in The APE Risk Management System. Maintaining excellent visibility is essential to process incoming hazards at the earliest possible moment. Catch hazards early by respecting Line of Sight.
