There are many reasons for motorcycle accidents. Sometimes, other drivers turn left in front of a motorcycle. In some cases, the driver will rear-end a motorcycle at a stoplight. In other cases, drivers merge into a different lane on the interstate and sideswipe a motorcycle that was in their blind spot.
One thing that you will often find is that other drivers will claim that they never saw the motorcycle at all. But the motorcyclist may say that the driver looked right at them and they were in plain view. Why does this disconnect exist and why do these accidents happen?
How your brain processes information
This could be related to a phenomenon called inattentional blindness, which has to do with how the brain processes and compartmentalizes information.
To begin with, a person has to analyze quite a lot of information anytime they look around, especially when they are doing something as complex as driving a car. The brain will try to sort out important information and prioritize it over other details, sometimes by filling in the gaps in what a person sees.
When the brain does this, it is most likely to recognize things that a person expects to see, and it will fill in the gaps with other information. So, for instance, if a driver is looking for cars and trucks before they make a left turn, the brain may not prioritize a motorcycle. If they do not take the time to really check their surroundings, they honestly will not see the bike and they will think that they are looking at an empty road.
This is why it is important for drivers to slow down and really consider if it is safe to turn. When they make mistakes, injured parties need to know how to seek financial compensation.