Just a little insight.

[Slick]

I don't think it's black and white. I find making eye contact usually helps even if it's not 100% effective.

I agree, but let me down badly yesterday.

 

[DRM]

I get that, and am now of an age where I accept that. I was prepared for some kind of acknowledgement that she was sorry she didn't see me, to which I would have replied with a wave and a smile, no harm no foul. What prompted the thread was the fact that she was incensed that I was somehow blocking her path. You probably had to see the look of disdain to fully appreciate her annoyance, which in turn left me flabbergasted.

I think it’s the reaction that your presence & the fact she never registered you were there came out as anger, when in actuality you scared her a lot, hopefully a lesson learned for that driver

 

[Slick]

I think it’s the reaction that your presence & the fact she never registered you were there came out as anger, when in actuality you scared her a lot, hopefully a lesson learned for that driver

That may well be it.

If that is the case, I could probably understand why a lone female wouldn't want to interact with someone who she thought may well be upset by her actions.

As you say, hopefully a lesson learned as it is for me too.

 

[sheddy]

My take on these incidents is that the motorist expects the other party to yield because they don’t consider a cyclist (or pedestrian or horse rider) to be a real road user.
They drive a vehicle and anyone else who is not in a vehicle must give way.

 

[Dadam]

My take on these incidents is that the motorist expects the other party to yield because they don’t consider a cyclist (or pedestrian or horse rider) to be a real road user.
They drive a vehicle and anyone else who is not in a vehicle must give way.

I do wonder if making eye contact actually encourages/enables this type of driver. "They've seen me so they know I'm coming out and of course they should give way because they're a mere cyclist".

 

[MichaelW2]

To be seen you need to be where drivers are looking: not in the gutter.
Use the secondary or primary position to be wherd drivers look and to control the cars around you.

 

[All uphill]

To be seen you need to be where drivers are looking: not in the gutter.
Use the secondary or primary position to be wherd drivers look and to control the cars around you.

I find this to be the case.

Hi-vis, helmet, bright clothing, eye contact have done nothing for me.

Lights and positioning myself in drivers' eyelines seems to work.

To understand the SMIDSY phenomenon it's worth reading about visual saccades as well.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I had similar recently. Car joining a quiet country lane from another quiet lane. No real danger as I'd already figured he wasn't going to stop so I was down to a safe speed. He finally saw me, way too late, braked hard and ended up half out of the junction.

The look he gave me wasn't daggers. It was part shock "how did you materialise out of nowhere?" (he'd looked but not seen) and part reproach "now look what you've made me do".

I think in return I just shook my head sadly at the state of the world.

 

[ColinJ]

Did he have headphones on? The man, not the dog
Or busy texting, again the man.

I have had problems with both groups of pedestrians. The only thing distracting this guy seemed to be the dog!

The dog leaves wee mail.

Ha ha - it took me a couple of seconds to get that!

 

[Slick]

To be seen you need to be where drivers are looking: not in the gutter.
Use the secondary or primary position to be wherd drivers look and to control the cars around you.

I was definitely in primary, she came out quite a distance to get me.

 

[Once a Wheeler]

Many good comments in this thread. Do a search on 'inattentional blindness' and it may open up a new area of awareness for you. For whatever reason, someone who is not sensitive to bicycles may have problems seeing them. I first came across the problem in France where I indicated a point of interest to someone at my side by directing their view relative to a WWII tank which was parked on display in the street, about 20 metres away. The object was seen quite quickly but it took a minute or two's discussion before my companion actually saw the tank. Sight is mostly in the brain, not in the eye, so beware of what you think people are seeing. In this context, it suggests an intentionally scary cycling proficiency test should be a standard part of the driving test. Perhaps a particularly positive use of AI.

 

[Slick]

Many good comments in this thread. Do a search on 'inattentional blindness' and it may open up a new area of awareness for you. For whatever reason, someone who is not sensitive to bicycles may have problems seeing them. I first came across the problem in France where I indicated a point of interest to someone at my side by directing their view relative to a WWII tank which was parked on display in the street, about 20 metres away. The object was seen quite quickly but it took a minute or two's discussion before my companion actually saw the tank. Sight is mostly in the brain, not in the eye, so beware of what you think people are seeing. In this context, it suggests an intentionally scary cycling proficiency test should be a standard part of the driving test. Perhaps a particularly positive use of AI.

Yes, like the video of the people playing basketball around a lift and nobody notices the gorilla. I get it.

 

[presta]

I experienced the look but don't see OR look and see but don't think thing on a local ride yesterday...

A man was walking his very large dog along the pavement ahead of me on my left, in the same direction as me. The dog heard me coming, turned, then stepped out into the road just in front of me. The man turned to to see what the dog was looking at, 'made eye contact' (or didn't really!), then followed his dog out into the road.

I shouted at him (and the dog!), swerved violently, and passed within cm of the snout of the dog. The dog had stopped dead but the owner had carried on and almost tripped over it. At no point did he show any sign of realising what the hell was going on!

Maybe he was just skunked out of his brains? If not, I don't know what his excuse would be...

I once had a guy wheel a toddler in a pushchair straight off the pavement in front of me. I screeched to a halt without hitting either, but he didn't bat an eyelid, either to apologise or accuse.

I don't think it's black and white. I find making eye contact usually helps even if it's not 100% effective.

I think it's pretty good at getting you noticed, whether it gets a reaction after that is a different kettle of fish.

To understand the SMIDSY phenomenon it's worth reading about visual saccades as well.

RAF Pilot on seeing and being seen.

Yes, like the video of the people playing basketball around a lift and nobody notices the gorilla. I get it.

Daniel Kahneman writes about a case in which a cop was chasing a suspect, and in the process passed two other cops beating a guy on the floor without stopping them. They were in a position where he couldn't have failed to see them, so he was convicted for failing to prevent the assault, but his conviction was overturned because of the psychology experiments that show when your attention is focused on one thing it's blind to anything else.

 

[Gwylan]

Many good comments in this thread. Do a search on 'inattentional blindness' and it may open up a new area of awareness for you. For whatever reason, someone who is not sensitive to bicycles may have problems seeing them. I first came across the problem in France where I indicated a point of interest to someone at my side by directing their view relative to a WWII tank which was parked on display in the street, about 20 metres away. The object was seen quite quickly but it took a minute or two's discussion before my companion actually saw the tank. Sight is mostly in the brain, not in the eye, so beware of what you think people are seeing. In this context, it suggests an intentionally scary cycling proficiency test should be a standard part of the driving test. Perhaps a particularly positive use of AI.

I live with one of those!

 

[Drago]

I once had a guy wheel a toddler in a pushchair straight off the pavement in front of me. I screeched to a halt without hitting either, but he didn't bat an eyelid, either to apologise or accuse.

I think it's pretty good at getting you noticed, whether it gets a reaction after that is a different kettle of fish.

RAF Pilot on seeing and being seen.

Daniel Kahneman writes about a case in which a cop was chasing a suspect, and in the process passed two other cops beating a guy on the floor without stopping them. They were in a position where he couldn't have failed to see them, so he was convicted for failing to prevent the assault, but his conviction was overturned because of the psychology experiments that show when your attention is focused on one thing it's blind to anything else.

Indeed. It's part of the old fight or flight response, vision narrows to focus on the "threat", hearing diminishes through a process known as auditory exclusion, all sorts of physiological responses.