Many motorcyclists have experienced the feeling of being “invisible” to other drivers on the road, and unfortunately some have suffered the results of major impacts as well. Theories abound as to why other drivers seem to have difficult seeing motorcylists — some studies indicate that motorcycles tend to “blend in” to backgrounds more easily than cars and trucks; other studies conclude that motorcyles are less conspicuous simply because a driver’s attention is more readily drawn to and held by larger vehicles.
Whatever the reason for this “invisibility,” one situation in which it is most apparent is in left turn accidents in which drivers heading in the opposite direction of a motorcyclist suddenly execute a left-hand turn directly in front of them, leaving the motorcyclist little or no time to react. Interviewed after the resulting collision, many of these drivers will simply say, “I never saw the motorcyclist.”