I read your study report and find it interesting. It focuses mainly on the “Moth Effect” meaning that we humans fixate on lights and are drawn to them while we drive. It finds this is not the case but does state that when we turn our gaze from forward to either side, we tend to move that direction even when walking; not just when driving or riding.
In the Air Warfare arena, flying is a team sport for sure and all players need to be on their best game in case they need to prod the pilot flying the machine. In a single seat aircraft (or motorcycle for that matter), there is no team to give back-up in case the operator’s focus is off the safe mark. We use the saying: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate to drive the point home. When I talk to my kids about driving or riding, I say Operate, Navigate, Communicate to get the idea across that they need to control their machine at all times, before worrying about the others. One of the quotes from the report says:
The driver factor lies in driver attentional concentration. Attention is a zero-sum game, so the more attention focused on one task, the less available to others. Concentrating attention on a target might reduce attention available to maintaining directional constancy.
The first crash at NAS Fallon I worked after being assigned there was a stellar senior LT flying his F-18. He was the wingman of the TOP GUN CO and was warming up for a bombing derby. The LT was going to deliver a little blue practice bomb onto a simulated anti-aircraft missile site. The tactic calls for a high altitude flight followed by a death defying straight down descent onto the target. Speed will build quickly once the dive begins and the bomb is released directly overhead just before the pilot pulls up. This area above this certain type of weapon is safe for the aircraft as the weapon cannot shoot straight up. However, the pilot was so focused on the target that he lost situational awareness (SA) and was beyond safe pull-out altitude. His lead yelled over the radio, “Eject, EJECT, EJECT!!!” and the LT did. His chute opened just before he hit the ground.
The Accident review Board stated the primary cause of this crash was loss of SA due to target fixation.
For us mortal motorcycle riders, this last quote from the report really does sum it up well I think.
Lastly, the target fixation effect of motorcycle riders may have a different cause from the moth effect in car drivers. When a motorcycle rider fixates away from his heading, he may unconsciously change his body posture to lean in that direction, causing the motorcycle to turn. Motorcycle riders, for example, tend to turn their handlebars more in the direction of a head turn (Heuer & Klein, 2001). Readinger, Chatziastros, Cunningham, Bülthoff. H., & Cutting (2002) investigated whether a posture change could account for the moth effect in car drivers and concluded that it did not. However, this does not rule out the possibility that postural changes may contribute to the moth effect in some circumstances.
Like Jack says, whatever we call it, it happens and we all need to be aware so that we do not further prove it out.
With that said, what beer do you prefer Bull? We should continue this topic in a nicely lit, air-conditioned, one G room where if we do fall down, we only hurt the peanut shells lying about.
