Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Inattentional Blindness by JAMES JONES I usually take this space to write about motorcycling and motorcycling safety, however, this week I decided to write about cars. Back in 1975, my Uncle Cecil taught me how to drive on some little country roads in the hills of Tennessee. In those days, I had three things that I would consider as "modern machinery." I had an automatic transmission, an electric starter and an AM/FM radio with really bad speakers. While driving with my uncle, I was not allowed to jam out and I can hear him, today, Inattentional blindness can be a problem for all telling me "Watch the road." drivers. Fast forward a few decades, and today's cars are packed with options. Cars today are more complicated than the bridge of the Star Trek Enterprise. This does not include the distractions that come along with cell phones. These things distract us from watching the road. In driving schools, we are taught to drive defensively. When you are not paying attention, you become the offensive driver. You are a threat to everyone on the road, yourself and your passengers. Fayetteville is a very busy city and so is Fort Bragg. I often see motorcycles that are hit by cars. We hear about pedestrians, scooters and bicycles being run over by cars. This is a tragedy. Obviously, this is very bad for the person being hit. It is also hard on the driver because you can have a variety of bad things happen to you like criminal charges, fines, insurance issues, law suits and then there is the human emotion like the thought of knowing that you harmed someone. Here are some things that will help avoid an accident. Look for others on the road. You are not the only game in town and we all share the road. They say that motorcyclists notice other bikes while driving because they are mindful of them. No distractions. Your text message or phone conversation is not as important as your driving safely. If your call or text can't wait, pull over in a safe spot, finish your business and then pull out into traffic carefully. Watch your surroundings. Don't change lanes suddenly without first looking to see what is around you. If you are near one of Fayetteville's FAST buses, you know they are going to stop and that people are going to be darting around them. Their frequent stops cause cars to pull quickly into the other lane. This is dangerous so pay attention. Stop at yellow. Fayetteville's traffic lights are quick and in many places, take several minutes to cycle through. I often see vehicles (cars and motorcycles) trying to get the last second of yellow into the red out of a crossover. This is dangerous. It may take a little more time to get to your destination but an accident can take hours to clear up and it can be very expensive. Watch for motorcycles in high traffic areas. The Cross Creek area, Skibo, Ramsey Street, Bragg Boulevard, Raeford Road, Owen Drive, and Spring Lake are all high traffic areas. Don't over drive. If you cannot see what is ahead of you, then slow down. This is especially true during periods of darkness and rainy conditions. Trust your instincts. One of the most under-used things we have is instinct. If you see something without knowing what it is, then train yourself to slow down or stop. Your eyes give you a good field of vision. Your peripheral vision may catch something that your mind does not register. Train your mind to see what you don't see. In the book The Survivor's Club, author Ben Sherwood discusses luck. Ninety percent of the people studied viewed luck as "the way we think." He goes on to show that those who use their peripheral vision notice more and therefore seem luckier. The book further describes what is called inattentional blindness. Inattentional blindness is the failure to notice an unexpected stimulus that is in one's field of vision when other attention-demanding tasks are being performed. It is categorized as an attentional error and is not associated with any vision deficits. This typically happens because humans are overloaded with stimuli and it is impossible to pay attention to all stimuli in one's environment. This is due to the fact that they are unaware of the unattended stimuli. Inattentional blindness also has an effect on perception. In other words "watch the road." If there is a topic that you would like to discuss, please send your comments and suggestions to motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE! JUNE 15 • FASHRM SCHOLARSHIP FUND MOTORCYCLE RIDE at Arnette Park. Reg 9-9:45 a.m., ride 10 a.m. $10/rider, $15 rider/passenger. Meal, raffles, awards. Call 366-3983 for more information. JUNE 22 • 1ST ANNUAL SAFE HAVENS RIVERFEST MOTORCYCLE SHOW at Campbellton Landing. 2-9 p.m. $25 to enter. Call 484 2936 or email www.9339mc.com for more information. JUNE 22 • 3RD ANNUAL HOME GROWN HEROES FALLEN OFFICER MEMORIAL RIDE at the Cumberland County Courthouse. Reg 8 a.m., ride 9:45 a.m., $25/rider $15/pass. Benefits NC C.O.P.S. and other local charities. Sponsored by Blue Knights NC XIII of Fayetteville. Find out more ar www. fayettevillencblueknightsXIII.org. JULY 21 • CHRISTMAS IN JULY TOY RUN at Victory of Fayetteville. Reg 8 a.m. depart at 10 a.m. $15/rider $10 pass. Lunch provided by Texas Roadhouse. Contest, prizes and raffles, food, and Live Entertainment. Call 910-426-5082 or 910261-4601 for more information. SEPTEMBER 15 • CAPE FEAR VALLEY HEALTH FOUNDATION FRIENDS OF THE CANCER CENTER RIBBON WALK & RIDE at the Medical Arts Center in downtown Fayetteville. 8 a.m. registration. 9:45 a.m. Ride Begins. 10 a.m. Walk Begins. For more information, visit www. ribbonwalkforcancer.org. PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse group of patriots from every state that come together to honor fallen soldiers at funeral services across the country. Visit www. patriotguard.org for more information about the group. • SAVE THESE DATES • June 22 Bob Marlow and Gypsywomen Golf Tournament July 20 • Reverse Raffle Thirsty Thursdays $1 off all drinks! 4624 BRAGG BLVD. JAMES JONES, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 22 UCW JUNE 5-11 2013 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM