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Fighter Pilot's veiw on how to reduce collisions
11/28/19 at 08:15:40

Here is a link to an interesting article about the limitations of our vision and the ability to see threats on the road. It was written by a fighter pilot who is well versed in research dealing with our vision and how our brains process images.

Recently, after I pulled out onto a main road I noticed a motorcycle close behind me. He wasn't behind me on the side road and couldn't have followed me through the turn so realized that somehow I must have pulled out in front of him even though I looked both ways. This article explains how that happens.

https://www.portsmouthctc.org.uk/a-fighter-pilots-guide-to-surviving-on-the-r...

The above address has been truncated for some reason, it should end with roads/

If the above doesn't work for you - this one will work: Wink

https://www.portsmouthctc.org.uk/a-fighter-pilots-guide-to-surviving-on-the-r...

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batman Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 3806 osceola new york Gender:	Re: Fighter Pilot's veiw on how to reduce collisio Reply #1 - 11/28/19 at 08:45:06 Wow ,good read!
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springman Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 2246 Spring, Texas Gender:	Re: Fighter Pilot's veiw on how to reduce collisio Reply #2 - 11/28/19 at 17:52:15 Very good. Thanks.
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Re: Fighter Pilot's veiw on how to reduce collisio
Reply #3 - 11/29/19 at 20:44:18

This is good information. We teach a similar process for Special Forces units in firearms exercises.

One technique we use to exemplify the peripheral vision is to take a playing card at random from a deck, place it in your hand outstretched to your side so you cant see it or can barely see it.

Then without moving your eyes slowly bring the card into your line of sight until you can tell exactly what card it is without guessing. With that type of detail limitation in our eyes you learn how important proper scanning and looking techniques are.

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Re: Fighter Pilot's veiw on how to reduce collisio
Reply #4 - 11/30/19 at 09:28:32

My wife manages a optical practice....
This peripheral vision should always be tested in your standard eye examine.
It can be as simple as holding up your fingers, and counting them, 1 through 6, choices Grin

Try it on yourself.....

About a foot away, line up with your ear, move it forward until you can readily count the fingers, without looking toward your hand, keeping your focus in front of you (stare at the Logout above view members, on your screen)

Note: one board down, its really odd, most folk can only see their right, or left view, not both Grin

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DesertCat

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Re: Fighter Pilot's veiw on how to reduce collisio
Reply #5 - 11/30/19 at 11:08:14

All I learned from this is don't rely on peripheral vision. Look left and right before entering a street. Look around and to the sides before making a traffic change. Don't rely on mirrors alone. This is what I was taught 54 years ago when I got my drivers license. It has kept me accident-free for 51 years and a couple of hundred thousand miles of motorcycling (61 bikes).

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« Last Edit: 11/30/19 at 14:12:53 by DesertCat »

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Re: Fighter Pilot's veiw on how to reduce collisio
Reply #6 - 11/30/19 at 11:47:53

The part about looking twice to create a double image is good practice as well. The change in perspective as described in the article will be more noticeable if an object is in motion along a pathway you haven't predicted.

My experience is people tend to greatly overestimate the accuracy of their peripheral vision, but it makes sense since your brain is ignoring most of what we see anyway.

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Re: Fighter Pilot's veiw on how to reduce collisio
Reply #7 - 11/30/19 at 14:20:40

DesertCat wrote on 11/30/19 at 11:08:14:

All I learned from this is don't rely on peripheral vision. Look left and right before entering a street. Look around and to the sides before making a traffic change. Don't rely on mirrors alone. This is what I was taught 54 years ago when I got my drivers license. It has kept me accident-free for 51 years and a couple of hundred thousand miles of motorcycling (61 bikes).

+1

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“The biggest big business in America is not steel, automobiles, or television. It is the manufacture, refinement and distribution of anxiety.”—Eric Sevareid (1964)

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ohiomoto Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 2825	Re: Fighter Pilot's veiw on how to reduce collisio Reply #8 - 12/01/19 at 07:24:25 I found it pretty fascinating how we DON'T see everything we think we just looked at. Our "systems" are way more complicated than I realized. Thanks for sharing.
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