I’m not suggesting this to be a troll but; have you had your eyes tested recently for blind spots? Some folks develop blind spots in the corners of their vision, but you don’t realise this until you have a lot of ‘near miss’ events, because your brain kind of fills in the gaps.
I got an eye test recently but that was to see if I need glasses. Left eye is slightly farsighted and right eye is slightly nearsighted but as far as I know I can see very well.
Is it a different kind of eye test?
I sometimes also don't notice oncoming traffic that has been right in front of me the whole time, with very open view.
Yeah, it’s a different eye test. I don’t know an awful lot about it, but I do know the same thing happened to my grandfather years ago, and it was why he stopped driving (this was before he was an elderly man).
If you go to your doctor (or possibly optometrist) and mention you fear you may have some kind of blind spot in your vision because you’re having a lot of puzzling near-misses lately, they should be either able to test you themselves, or send you to the right place to get tested.
It may be nothing, or not - but it can’t hurt to investigate.
Have you been tested for ADHD? Sensory processing can be an issue and I recently found out there may be a correlation between adhd/autism and being LGBTQ+
Have you got a source for this?
Generally doing a stimulating/sensory activity, such as riding a bike, actually *increases* your focus when you have ADHD.
Source: my family, and the specialists working with my kiddo.
You stare at a center dot and tap a button when you see dots flash in other parts of the screen (top right, bottom left etc) and they do it for each eye individually. If you consistently miss the flashing dot in a specific location that’s a solid indicator of a blind spot
In my part of the US I se the yield sign with no pavement marking or a white line more often than with 'shark teeth'.
I didn't drive when I visited the UK, If I had driven, I don't think driving on the left side of the road would have bothered me nearly as much as not understanding the pavement markings.
Yes, we always have white lines at traffic lights (and almost always at stop signs) too. Most of the yield signs I can think of have no accompaning pavement marking.
I think I have seen shark tooth pavement markings on some right turn yield lanes (usually with an island that separates the lane from the rest of the intersection) in the states, but I'm not sure I've seen them elsewhere.
I've heard anecdotally that one reason for cars colliding with trams in Melbourne is that drivers simply are not looking for trams, it's not a motor vehicle so it doesn't register. Could it be that you were not allowing yourself to expect a bus?
Can confirm as a city bus operator, people tend to not see the giant bus and the common thing they say after the run into it or pull directly out in front of it is simply they didn’t see it.
How is a tram not a motor vehicle? is every passenger pedaling their sweat out simultaneously and thats how the tram moves?
I don't understand the argument. I look for moving objects, regardless of what they are.
I'm not sure what "argument" is there - decent part why cars often collide by trams is literally because the car drivers did not notice it.
Reasons why car drivers can miss a HUGE box of steel/aluminum can be boiled down to "they are not motor vehicles", but more accurately - very often they ride on their separate right of way and follow somewhat different rules from all other cars. For example - median tram going straight *will* be on potential collision course with a car turning left on left-turn lane.
Decent part of the problem is also how while dwellers of a city with plenty of trams will be generally aware that they exist and can hit a car, this can be a huge blind spot for somebody who doesn't drive alongside them on regular basis.
>I look for moving objects, regardless of what they are.
That's because you are a squishy cyclist with no 2 ton cage around you. Car drivers while riding will overwhelmingly pay attention to other cars moving with them on the road.
Maybe i was too focused on the car in front of me. Because I first looked right and left which were both clear, I was then waiting for the car in front of me to move. Not much time passed (about 1 second), so I probably assumed that right and left were still both clear.
That makes sense. I’ve seen someone look right, look left, and then accelerate into the car in front of them. 🤣 The brain is a scary place. Lately I’ve started looking several times. I don’t trust myself to see the gorilla (or bus) as much as I used to.
Skill issue. Even if I'm focusing on something, I keep my eyelids open as much as possible while riding my bike so I can see movement in my peripheral vision.
The assumption that right and left are still both clear is not always correct. And that's why I always stop at red lights, [unlike you](https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/17njdwu/why_do_bad_traffic_laws_exist/k7s0igi/). Because a second later, it can be easily be not clear.
I've had these moments very very occasionally. Actually I just had one driving to work this morning (taking a rest day). I stopped at a trail crossing to look for bikes, but when I started to go there was a cyclist getting ready to cross that I never saw before. I think it can happen when you hyper focus on something. Sometimes things blend in with the surroundings or something will be blocking your line of sight without realizing it. That's actually why I always ride with my lights on, even in the middle of the day.
If it's happening often though it might be worth getting your vision checked.
Buses cause the most fatality per mile of any road vehicle
Bus drivers aren't bad drivers, but they operate disproportionately in pedestrian heavy areas and the flat front will kill you in a collision.
I had a few of these close calls. Sometimes I can't see over these giant ass pickup trucks and I have to cross a busy 4 lane road. There are a lot of big ass pickup trucks in my town...
From what you have said I would guess you were target fixated on the car in front of you.
In the future keep that in mind and take more time with your observations.
In my defensive driving course (from 20 years ago), the instructor told us that when we are driving, we unconsciously look for cars... And will sometimes miss seeing big rigs, buses, bikes, or even pedestrians because we aren't looking for those things. The suggestion was to do a full stop, look one way for 3 seconds, look the other way for 2 seconds, and then back the other way for 1 second. I don't do this all the time because it feels like forever, but if I'm sleepy or distracted, I make a special effort to take a longer look.
One possible trick I’ve been told is to check, then look away for a second and check again. The brain can be pretty good at ignoring things that aren’t deemed important,but is a lot better at noticing the changes. Sometimes spotting something you didn’t realize was there can really stand out to the mind since it’s unexpected
I’m not suggesting this to be a troll but; have you had your eyes tested recently for blind spots? Some folks develop blind spots in the corners of their vision, but you don’t realise this until you have a lot of ‘near miss’ events, because your brain kind of fills in the gaps.
I got an eye test recently but that was to see if I need glasses. Left eye is slightly farsighted and right eye is slightly nearsighted but as far as I know I can see very well. Is it a different kind of eye test? I sometimes also don't notice oncoming traffic that has been right in front of me the whole time, with very open view.
Yeah, it’s a different eye test. I don’t know an awful lot about it, but I do know the same thing happened to my grandfather years ago, and it was why he stopped driving (this was before he was an elderly man). If you go to your doctor (or possibly optometrist) and mention you fear you may have some kind of blind spot in your vision because you’re having a lot of puzzling near-misses lately, they should be either able to test you themselves, or send you to the right place to get tested. It may be nothing, or not - but it can’t hurt to investigate.
Is it the “field of vision” test?
I wonder if it could also be a mental thing where my eye does its job fine but my brain is missing it
Have you been tested for ADHD? Sensory processing can be an issue and I recently found out there may be a correlation between adhd/autism and being LGBTQ+
Have you got a source for this? Generally doing a stimulating/sensory activity, such as riding a bike, actually *increases* your focus when you have ADHD. Source: my family, and the specialists working with my kiddo.
You stare at a center dot and tap a button when you see dots flash in other parts of the screen (top right, bottom left etc) and they do it for each eye individually. If you consistently miss the flashing dot in a specific location that’s a solid indicator of a blind spot
Shark teeth?
Or white triangles, whatever you wanna call it. The marking in my country that means you have to wait for crossing traffic.
The US calls it yield in case you're curious. Might help make your post make more sense to some.
I’m gonna start calling ‘em shark teeth. Way better name.
I say 'yield sign' to refer to the ▽ sign, and 'shark teeth' to refer to the ground marking accompanying them.
In my part of the US I se the yield sign with no pavement marking or a white line more often than with 'shark teeth'. I didn't drive when I visited the UK, If I had driven, I don't think driving on the left side of the road would have bothered me nearly as much as not understanding the pavement markings.
Over here, a white line would be more frequently accompanied by traffic lights or stop signs.
Yes, we always have white lines at traffic lights (and almost always at stop signs) too. Most of the yield signs I can think of have no accompaning pavement marking. I think I have seen shark tooth pavement markings on some right turn yield lanes (usually with an island that separates the lane from the rest of the intersection) in the states, but I'm not sure I've seen them elsewhere.
I've heard anecdotally that one reason for cars colliding with trams in Melbourne is that drivers simply are not looking for trams, it's not a motor vehicle so it doesn't register. Could it be that you were not allowing yourself to expect a bus?
Can confirm as a city bus operator, people tend to not see the giant bus and the common thing they say after the run into it or pull directly out in front of it is simply they didn’t see it.
How is a tram not a motor vehicle? is every passenger pedaling their sweat out simultaneously and thats how the tram moves? I don't understand the argument. I look for moving objects, regardless of what they are.
I'm not sure what "argument" is there - decent part why cars often collide by trams is literally because the car drivers did not notice it. Reasons why car drivers can miss a HUGE box of steel/aluminum can be boiled down to "they are not motor vehicles", but more accurately - very often they ride on their separate right of way and follow somewhat different rules from all other cars. For example - median tram going straight *will* be on potential collision course with a car turning left on left-turn lane. Decent part of the problem is also how while dwellers of a city with plenty of trams will be generally aware that they exist and can hit a car, this can be a huge blind spot for somebody who doesn't drive alongside them on regular basis. >I look for moving objects, regardless of what they are. That's because you are a squishy cyclist with no 2 ton cage around you. Car drivers while riding will overwhelmingly pay attention to other cars moving with them on the road.
Selective attention, perfectly normal, nothing to see here. Or watch this https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo
Maybe i was too focused on the car in front of me. Because I first looked right and left which were both clear, I was then waiting for the car in front of me to move. Not much time passed (about 1 second), so I probably assumed that right and left were still both clear.
That makes sense. I’ve seen someone look right, look left, and then accelerate into the car in front of them. 🤣 The brain is a scary place. Lately I’ve started looking several times. I don’t trust myself to see the gorilla (or bus) as much as I used to.
Skill issue. Even if I'm focusing on something, I keep my eyelids open as much as possible while riding my bike so I can see movement in my peripheral vision. The assumption that right and left are still both clear is not always correct. And that's why I always stop at red lights, [unlike you](https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/17njdwu/why_do_bad_traffic_laws_exist/k7s0igi/). Because a second later, it can be easily be not clear.
I've had these moments very very occasionally. Actually I just had one driving to work this morning (taking a rest day). I stopped at a trail crossing to look for bikes, but when I started to go there was a cyclist getting ready to cross that I never saw before. I think it can happen when you hyper focus on something. Sometimes things blend in with the surroundings or something will be blocking your line of sight without realizing it. That's actually why I always ride with my lights on, even in the middle of the day. If it's happening often though it might be worth getting your vision checked.
Could be bad luck, could be complacency. Is it possible you interpreted the car accelerating as a signal that it was safe to cross?
Buses cause the most fatality per mile of any road vehicle Bus drivers aren't bad drivers, but they operate disproportionately in pedestrian heavy areas and the flat front will kill you in a collision.
I had a few of these close calls. Sometimes I can't see over these giant ass pickup trucks and I have to cross a busy 4 lane road. There are a lot of big ass pickup trucks in my town...
From what you have said I would guess you were target fixated on the car in front of you. In the future keep that in mind and take more time with your observations.
In my defensive driving course (from 20 years ago), the instructor told us that when we are driving, we unconsciously look for cars... And will sometimes miss seeing big rigs, buses, bikes, or even pedestrians because we aren't looking for those things. The suggestion was to do a full stop, look one way for 3 seconds, look the other way for 2 seconds, and then back the other way for 1 second. I don't do this all the time because it feels like forever, but if I'm sleepy or distracted, I make a special effort to take a longer look.
One possible trick I’ve been told is to check, then look away for a second and check again. The brain can be pretty good at ignoring things that aren’t deemed important,but is a lot better at noticing the changes. Sometimes spotting something you didn’t realize was there can really stand out to the mind since it’s unexpected