After a serious accident, it’s not unusual for a vehicle’s driver to insist they never saw the pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist they hit – even when the other person was clearly visible and the driver was looking directly at them.
This phenomenon is called inattentional blindness, and it helps explain why some accidents happen even when drivers aren’t texting, talking on their phones or otherwise obviously distracted. The problem isn’t necessarily what their eyes can see. It’s what their brains process.
What exactly is inattentional blindness?
Humans can’t process every piece of information their eyes take in. Instead, their minds prioritize what seems most important at the time.
When drivers concentrate on one thing, such as watching a traffic signal or looking for a gap in traffic, they may simply overlook something unexpected even though it is in their field of vision. This is particularly dangerous for those traveling on foot or two wheels.
In fact, research found that drivers participating in a visual attention experiment were twice as likely to overlook a motorcycle as a taxi, likely because a taxi is bigger, has a high profile and is more common than motorcycles in many areas. Accidents caused by inattentional blindness are common at left-hand turns, intersections, parking lots, during lane changes and more.
Does inattentional blindness excuse a driver’s negligence?
While inattentional blindness may help explain why a driver failed to notice someone, it doesn’t automatically excuse their actions. Florida motorists are still expected to exercise reasonable care and yield the right of way when required.
Failing to notice someone on the road doesn’t generally relieve a driver of responsibility for an accident. In fact, understanding how inattentional blindness works underscores the importance of actively looking for other people on the road, rather than simply glancing around.
When a pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist is injured because a driver failed to see them, a skilled personal injury attorney can investigate the accident, determine whether the driver acted negligently and help the injured pursue fair compensation.