Advocacy & Safety - Target Fixation

One of the things I never learned when I started riding a bicycle as a kid is target fixation. You go where you look. If you see an obstacle, look at your path to avoid the obstacle, not at the thing itself. If you want to do a tight U-turn, look over your shoulder, not at your front wheel or that ditch. If you are about to go into the curb, look away from it and the bike will follow.

I think lots of people kind of instinctively learn this, but as I lack any eye-hand coordination I never did and always wondered why I had so much trouble getting away from hazards. I would fix on the problem and head right for it. It almost seemed the handlebars didn't want to move and I would ride right into the gutter or the bump. I didn't learn about target fixation until I took a Motorcycle Safety Foundation basic riders course. I learned target fixation can be so bad motorcycle riders have ridden into the side of semi trucks that were passing them. They couldn't keep their eyes off the truck, steered right into it and were killed. On a bicycle it usually isn't so bad, but target fixation may explain why you have so much trouble staying out of potholes.

Look where you want to go. Don't look at the front wheel, look down the road and away from any hazards.

+1, good advice.

This is also why motorists often nail us, regardless of how visible we are; we give them a target on which to fixate, and the fixation overwhelms their "fender judgement."

I, too, have below-average hand-eye coordination and abysmal large muscle coordination. We learn to compensate. :)

This is also why motorists often nail us, regardless of how visible we are; we give them a target on which to fixate, and the fixation overwhelms their "fender judgement."

It's a good reason , albeit psychological, to "take the lane", and only move right when necessary.
Especially with older "whitehead" male drivers.

Police refer to flashing lights as "drunk magnets." I mix in steady lights for that reason, and worry about having any flashers at all.

A key in handling is having a reference line picked out and focusing on it. Provides something for feel of the machine to hang on. G forces, yaw angle, etc. Easier to learn with a high performance car. On a track, preferably. Eye focus point really does do nicely for easy handling.

Good observation.

Also plays a key role in combat, but that's another story.

This is also why motorists often nail us, regardless of how visible we are; we give them a target on which to fixate, and the fixation overwhelms their "fender judgement."

Presumably the solution for this "problem" is to dress in all black attire and cover up reflectors and throw away any rear lights. Got it!:rolleyes:

I suppose target fixation must have some basis in truth, but how do you explain all the stuff we do look at, yet never run into?

I learned target fixation can be so bad motorcycle riders have ridden into the side of semi trucks that were passing them. They couldn't keep their eyes off the truck, steered right into it and were killed.

If they were killed how does anyone know what they were actually looking at?

Police refer to flashing lights as "drunk magnets." I mix in steady lights for that reason, and worry about having any flashers at all.


Why do they still use flashing lights? I think maybe there is something of an urban myth to this. Shall we send a request to Adam and Jamie?

so does this mean all those motorists who claim 'not to have seen' the cyclist they hit were actually looking right at them all the time?!?!?

:eek:

Why do they still use flashing lights? I think maybe there is something of an urban myth to this. Shall we send a request to Adam and Jamie?


That's an outrageously good idea. Do it.

Presumably the solution for this "problem" is to dress in all black attire and cover up reflectors and throw away any rear lights. Got it!:rolleyes:
That may be your solution. You go right ahead. ;) I prefer to pay extra attention when this seems most likely to happen, such as an approaching vehicle after a break in traffic. Then, as hotbike mentioned, it may be a good time to take more of the lane. Or, perhaps just change lane position a bit, within the lane, to add a bit of unexpected movement that just might break the fixation.

If they were killed how does anyone know what they were actually looking at?

Sometimes there are videos of motorcycle crashes, and in some cases it is obvious that it was due to target fixation.

Here is a classic case of target fixation:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2900175972155125833&q=Motorcycle+crash&hl=en

They teach this in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. It works very well on a bicycle too. Only thing, be sure to look with your whole head, not just your eyes. It works better, but either way, target fixation is real.

That may be your solution. You go right ahead. ;) I prefer to pay extra attention when this seems most likely to happen, such as an approaching vehicle after a break in traffic. Then, as hotbike mentioned, it may be a good time to take more of the lane. Or, perhaps just change lane position a bit, within the lane, to add a bit of unexpected movement that just might break the fixation.

OK. Now I Got it, I have a choice! I should be invisible when bicycling so that no fixates on me, OR I can be unpredictable and practice unexpected swerving on the road to be more noticeable every time a new group of cars approaches from the rear.

BTW Does this "unexpected movement" safety technique work on car drivers from the opposite direction who might "fixate" on my bike headlight?

No thanks. I choose neither technique. I choose to ignore techniques based on mitigating urban legends and internet rumors about the danger of "fixation" on bicyclists, and will stick with appropriate lighting and expected movements.

They teach this in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. It works very well on a bicycle too. Only thing, be sure to look with your whole head, not just your eyes. It works better, but either way, target fixation is real.

The way it was explained to me in the MSF was that it was similar to tunnel vision that occurs during periods of high stress and excessive sensory input. The rider (or driver) fixates on what is most important and then tends to drive into it rather than avoid it.

I've noticed that when an unexpected hazard appears with little time to react, I really do have a tendancy to aim right for it. It takes a conscious effort to steer around.

I've noticed that when an unexpected hazard appears with little time to react, I really do have a tendancy to aim right for it. It takes a conscious effort to steer around.

Oh yes. I have definitely done this. The problem is often that there is too little time to recognise the hazard, react (safely) and then fix on a new course.

Kinda makes you wonder if you really want to be conspicuous to drivers... after all if they are fixing on you... what might be the result?

I ride a motorcycle as well and agree that target fixation is very real.

I use this explanation: The idea that your motorcycle will go where you're looking is merely phenomenon that virtually all drivers (of any kind of vehicle) have experienced before: that if you turn your head you tend to STEER in the direction you're looking. In fact, it might be clearer to simply acknowledge that it is almost impossible to steer in any direction other than the one you are looking at. ALL of your prior experience has taught you how to steer your vehicle where you want it to go. So, if you look where you want to go, you kick in all that prior experience and AUTOMATICALLY steer in that direction. There is no magic here nor is there a hidden law of physics involved. Your bike (or automobile) TENDS to go in the direction you are looking because, via experience, you have taught yourself to steer, more or less subconsciously.

To take advantage of that phenomenon you merely need to actively look in the direction you want to go - away from danger. The rest is virtually subconscious reaction. Of course it takes more than a turn of your eyes or even your head. You still need to steer away from danger. Since it is HARD to steer away from what you're looking at, and easy (almost automatic) to steer in the direction you are looking, surely it makes sense to look where you want to go.

Regarding the "I didn't see him" argument - may be partly due to target fixation in which the driver is fixating on the upcoming intersection, rather than other vehicles around him/her, distraction, or this phenomena described in this article. I think it applies very easily to bicyclists as well, and I'm very, very aware of potential encounters with oncoming traffic on both my moto and bike as a result.

http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:16127340 (http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:16127340). Drivers adopt smaller safety margins when pulling out in front of motorcycles compared with cars. This could partly account for why the most common motorcycle/car accident involves a car violating a motorcyclist's right of way. One possible explanation is the size-arrival effect in which smaller objects are perceived to arrive later than larger objects. That is, drivers may estimate the time to arrival of motorcycles to be later than cars because motorcycles are smaller. METHODS: We investigated arrival time judgments using a temporal occlusion paradigm. Drivers recruited from the student population (n = 28 and n = 33) saw video footage of oncoming vehicles and had to press a response button when they judged that vehicles would reach them. RESULTS: In experiment 1, the time to arrival of motorcycles was estimated to be significantly later than larger vehicles (a car and a van) for different approach speeds and viewing times. In experiment 2, we investigated an alternative explanation to the size-arrival effect: that the smaller size of motorcycles places them below the threshold needed for observers to make an accurate time to arrival judgment using tau. We found that the motorcycle/car difference in arrival time estimates was maintained for very short occlusion durations when tau could be estimated for both motorcycles and cars. CONCLUSIONS: Results are consistent with the size-arrival effect and are inconsistent with the tau threshold explanation. Drivers estimate motorcycles will reach them later than cars across a range of conditions. This could have safety implications.

Avoiding target fixation is something you can easily practice while driving - look through the corners, down the road, where you want to go. It can only benefit your driving, bicycling, and/or motorcycling.

Regarding the "I didn't see him" argument - may be partly due to target fixation in which the driver is fixating on the upcoming intersection, rather than other vehicles around him/her, distraction, or this phenomena described in this article. I think it applies very easily to bicyclists as well, and I'm very, very aware of potential encounters with oncoming traffic on both my moto and bike as a result.

I agree.

I have an honest question about this phenomena. Today while riding my bicycle, a dog started to enter the street in front of me on my right. I shouted him back and he slowly turned around while I continued straight. My eyes stayed on him almost the entire time, as I wanted to make sure I knew exactly where he was, and see what he was going to do. Why didn't I steer towards him or even hit him?

iltb-2, I said nothing about swerving. Regarding moving within the lane, perhaps you should consider a motorcycle safety course, or at least reading the material; most of the principles apply to bicycling.

BTW Does this "unexpected movement" safety technique work on car drivers from the opposite direction who might "fixate" on my bike headlight?



I don't think target fixation is nearly as much of a factor with oncoming traffic from the opposite disrection, but a shift in lane position is a way to make yourself more visible to them, when you WANT to be seen. Have you ever maneuvered in such a manner as to make your headlight beam move across the visual field of a driver about to turn left across your path? No, not some silly swerving maneuver, but something like a shift from what would be a four-wheel vehicle's right wheel track position to left wheel track position, and back again. Nothing drastic, just a subtle shift, as if simply avoiding a rough spot on the pavement. It makes a cyclist, motorized or not, more visible. This is really quite basic, not some arcane off-the-wall stuff. I apologize for drifting away from the subject of target fixation, but I do not know how to cut and paste a quote from one thread and move it to another, and iltb-2 posed the question here.

I have an honest question about this phenomena. Today while riding my bicycle, a dog started to enter the street in front of me on my right. I shouted him back and he slowly turned around while I continued straight. My eyes stayed on him almost the entire time, as I wanted to make sure I knew exactly where he was, and see what he was going to do. Why didn't I steer towards him or even hit him?

Because you weren't stoned or drunk, that's why.

I have an honest question about this phenomena. Today while riding my bicycle, a dog started to enter the street in front of me on my right. I shouted him back and he slowly turned around while I continued straight. My eyes stayed on him almost the entire time, as I wanted to make sure I knew exactly where he was, and see what he was going to do. Why didn't I steer towards him or even hit him?

Well you don't steer towards everything you see, just towards the things you fixate on. Otherwise you would never be able to look over your shoulder before doing a lane change. You were probably also looking ahead at the same time, as you are used to doing.

Typically what happens is people stare at something, panic about hitting it, and then steer into it.

It is most commonly a problem on motorcycles because it takes so little motion and time to steer and hit something. They are responsive and fast. It's very common for someone to follow a rider who crashes and crash themselves.

You will probably most notice the difference on a bicycle with tight turning maneuvers, such as a U-turn. Look over your shoulder at where you are turning and you will make the turn much easier.

I myself crashed on my bicycle due to target fixation. I was trying to do a U-turn in the opposite direction to what I'm used to, in a very narrow lane (I was in Ireland), and convinced myself I wasn't going to make it, but was going to hit the berm instead. Sure enough, I hit the berm and fell down. Afterwards, for every reverse U-turn, I concentrated on looking through the turn, and made it without trouble.

I always saw 'target fixation' or whatever you call it as a bit of a newbie error, and tends to be less of a problem once you get some experience.

This is also why motorists often nail us, regardless of how visible we are...
Woops.

"...motorists often nail us..."

Huh?

Woops.

"...motorists often nail us..."

Huh?

Well, when all you have is a hammer...

I recall a friend many years back, who while riding his motorcycle, took a turn on a street right in front of his house a little too fast/wide and ran into a tree. Now that I ponder it, I suppose "target fixation" probably did play a role in the crash. Especially the second time, when he nailed the exact same tree! LOL, we never let him live that one down. :roflmao:

Police refer to flashing lights as "drunk magnets." I mix in steady lights for that reason, and worry about having any flashers at all.

My understanding is that there is little (zero?) evidence of phototaxis,
"moth-to-flame", or "firefly effect."

Mind you, the link below is the only research that I could easily find regarding the effect of blinkies.

http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gre/greinfdoc/48inf02.pdf

Regarding target fixation -- which is different than phototaxis -- I think that explanations in the thread are a pretty good description of the idea. I too recall the in idea all of the motorcycle safety foundation courses as well as two driving courses I took.