Re: Motorcycle Conspicuity Study by Iowa University
Read the whole study. The below quote is at the beginning and is interesting because of several points. The test subjects were all
looking for motorcycles. These do not represent the road users that are most dangerous to motorcyclists. Also note the use of a simulator, rather than real world conditions. It's a
very good simulator, mind you, but still a simulator and the test subjects all know that, so can ignore other distractions while they look for motorcycles.
The objective of this project was to determine the effect of headlight configuration (daytime running lights, high beam, modulating) and
rider color (bright yellow, blue denim, and black torso and helmet) on the conspicuity of a motorcycle to a driver of a passenger vehicle
in a simulated environment. To achieve this, 36 participants completed three drives on a National Advanced Driving Simulator
(NADS)-2 driving simulator.
From their own conclusions -
The analysis was conducted separately for oncoming and leading motorcycles. It must be noted
that the implications of the detection distances reported in this study are relative rather than
absolute as this study was conducted in a simulated environment.
Opps, went into the study with prior expectations... and gee, found data to support them. :
As expected, motorcycles with modulating headlights were detected at the greatest distance
(compared to motorcycles with high beam and the DRL) for both cases where the riders had
black and bright yellow rider colors.
What the study did nothing for is any determination of distance of the oncoming motorcycle and safe reactions of the drivers. "Yep, I saw the motorcycle and turned left in front of it because it was way out there" Except that it
wasn't as far away as they thought. The truth is that every car driver that hit a motorcycle did see them, their subconscious mind dismissed it though, because it wasn't perceived as a threat. The conscious mind only recognized the motorcycle after the accident or immediately prior to it, when there was no more time to react to avoid the accident.
The study found what they wanted to find. It was highly subjective and extremely flawed in real world environmental areas. Can
I see a modulating headlight equipped motorcycle earlier than one w/o? Sure. But I'm
looking for them. It's the road users that are not looking that are the danger.
Do what you want. Just don't make the mistake of thinking it makes any difference. You are still the only thing keeping you alive and you have to see them, all the time, every time, or you will have problems. Fred's own story of nearly being rear ended is striking proof of this. Eye contact, close spacing, and directly in front of the distracted driver, (at a stop, no less), flashing brake lights, etc, none of which helped a single bit.