Video could help save biker lives

New research which explores why car drivers often fail to spot motorcyclists on the road has revealed how a simple video intervention could help save lives – with 92% of drivers reporting a greater understanding of hazards. Despite making up less than 1% of UK road traffic, motorcyclists account for nearly 20% of road fatalities.

The Motorcycles in the Mind’s Eye study by psychologists at Nottingham Trent University, funded by The Road Safety Trust, explores the theory that many of these incidents are not due to carelessness, but to a lack of experience and flawed ‘mental models’ whereby car drivers and motorcyclists think differently about road situations.

Motorcycles, due to their smaller size, relative rarity, and distinct road behaviour, are significantly harder for drivers to detect, particularly in less predictable scenarios such as overtaking stationary traffic. Many motorists lack sufficient exposure to motorcycles, making it difficult to form reliable mental models of where and how they might appear.

This often leads to ‘Look But Fail To See’ errors, where a driver may glance directly at a motorcyclist yet fail to register them as a potential hazard. Even when noticed, accurately judging the speed of an oncoming motorcycle remains a common challenge for drivers.