this may have been posted before. if so, i am reposting...for safety concerns........
Motion blindness - very interesting!
For evolutionary reasons, our brains remove stationary things from our immediate field of vision.
Moving things represent potential danger. Stationary things do not. That's why the predators and prey
alike have learned how to freeze in place. Camouflage and motionless can actually make both predator
and prey invisible to one another.
All this becomes a severe liability when flying, driving, or yes...RIDING A MOTORCYCLE! when there are moving objects
in the field of view which are actually on a collision course with your vehicle, but appear to remain
stationary in your field of view.
This is most commonly seen when you are on a highway and another vehicle is coming down an on-ramp
at a speed that paces yours. It remains in the same place as viewed through the windshield or side windows.
Your brain will simply erase the other car's image from your view.... until you move your head. This
can also occur in your mirrors when a vehicle is overtaking you at a very slow rate. If you simply constantly
scan by moving your head or eyes, those important objects will remain visible.
How many times have we heard "I never saw the guy on the motorcycle before I pulled into the intersection"? It's real.
Read the story below and then follow the link for an actual demonstration of the effect. It's real, too.
Deliberately develop a habit of constant scanning when you drive and even when you walk.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MINIMIZE THIS???......While riding, DO NOT fix your gaze
for more than a couple of seconds on any single object.
It works exactly like it says and is one major reason people in cars can look right at you when you're
on a motorcycle or bicycle---AND NOT SEE YOU!!!
From a former Naval Aviator: "This is a great illustration of what we were taught about scanning
outside the cockpit when I went through training back in the '50s. We were told to scan the horizon for
a short distance, stop momentarily, and repeat the process. I can remember being told why this was the
most effective technique to locate other aircraft. It was emphasized (repeatedly) to NOT fix your gaze
for more than a couple of seconds on any single object. The instructors, some of whom were WWII veterans
with years of experience, instructed us to continually "keep our eyes moving and our head on a swivel"
because this was the best way to survive, not only in combat, but from peacetime hazards (like a midair
collision) as well. We basically had to take the advice on faith (until we could experience for ourselves)
because the technology to demonstrate it didn't exist at that time."
NOT CONVINCED?? HERE IS A DEMO PROVING IT. SCARY..
http://www.msf-usa.org/motion.html 
