Accurately reporting individuals’ ages is essential for identifying at-risk demographics; however, 23% of crash reports in July still lack this information, hindering our ability to thoroughly analyze age-related trends. Despite this fact, younger and lower-ranking riders still represented a higher percentage of accidents during this reporting period: 48% of crashes involved riders 25 years old and under and 71% involved ranks E-5 or below.

In July, the naval enterprise recorded 31 motorcycle crashes, with two resulting in fatalities. Due to favorable riding conditions, California led in motorcycle crashes for the 18th continuous month with 11 reported – accounting for over a third of the crashes (35%) overall. Florida followed with five reported or 16% of the incidents. North Carolina and Virginia each had three crashes (20%). The remaining incidents occurred throughout the United States as well as one crash each in Bahrain, Italy, Japan and Spain.

The increasing number of crashes involving pedestrians and motorcycle riders highlights a disturbing trend: drivers are failing to see these vulnerable road users. While vehicle design contributes to this problem, the issue extends far beyond physical obstructions, such as blind spots. Cognitive and behavioral factors play a significant and often overlooked role in the growing “invisibility” of pedestrians and motorcycle riders. Recent research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) underscores the expanding size of A-pillar blind zones – areas obscured by the thick supports framing the windshield – particularly in newer SUVs. While this is a serious concern, it represents just one piece of a larger, more complex puzzle. Addressing this visibility issue requires a multifaceted approach encompassing vehicle design improvements, targeted driver education and integrating advanced safety technologies.

The fact various cognitive and behavioral factors are involved creates a dangerous environment for vulnerable road users. Inattentional blindness, often fueled by distractions such as navigation systems, cell phones or even daydreaming, causes drivers to overlook pedestrians and motorcycle riders, even when they can be seen clearly. Our brains, when overloaded with information, prioritize certain stimuli while filtering out others. In the context of driving, a distracted driver may prioritize traffic flow and navigation, unconsciously filtering out less-expected elements such as pedestrians or motorcycle riders, especially in environments where their presence isn’t anticipated. This is further compounded by confirmation bias, a cognitive shortcut where drivers focus on what they expect to see on the road, primarily other vehicles. This can lead them to overlook smaller, less anticipated road users, effectively “filling in the gaps” and dismissing information not conforming to their established expectations. The inherent vulnerability of pedestrians and motorcycle riders, who occupy less visual space and can be easily obscured by other vehicles, exacerbates this bias.

The phenomenon of look-but-fail-to-see errors further complicates the issue. Even when a driver’s eyes physically pass over a pedestrian or motorcycle rider, their brain might fail to register their presence. This can be attributed to several factors, including fatigue, stress and the complexity of the driving environment. When drivers are tired or overwhelmed, their cognitive processing slows down, making it less likely for them to interpret visual information accurately. In these instances, even though the eyes may have technically “seen” the pedestrian or motorcycle rider, the brain fails to process and interpret the information quickly enough to avoid a collision. This disconnect between visual input and cognitive recognition can have devastating consequences.

Furthermore, a lack of expectancy also plays a role. Drivers are generally conditioned to look for larger vehicles – cars, trucks and buses – as these are the most common objects encountered on the road. This expectation, coupled with the relative infrequency of encountering pedestrians and motorcycle riders in specific driving contexts, can lead to a failure to actively search for them. Drivers may subconsciously prioritize larger vehicles, assuming anything smaller will be less of a threat or less likely to be present. This lack of proactive scanning and anticipation makes pedestrians and motorcycle riders effectively invisible, even when they are within the driver’s field of vision.

While improvements in vehicle design, such as thinner A-pillars, strategically placed mirrors and improved overall visibility are crucial, they are only one piece of the puzzle. Addressing the cognitive and behavioral aspects is equally vital. This includes raising public awareness about the importance of attentiveness and actively scanning for vulnerable road users, incorporating targeted training modules into driver education programs to mitigate inattentional blindness and confirmation bias, and promoting the adoption of advanced safety technologies, such as pedestrian detection systems and automatic emergency braking. These systems act as a safety net when human perception fails, providing an additional layer of protection for vulnerable road users. Only through a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach tackling all facets of this issue – from vehicle design to driver behavior – can we hope to create safe roads for everyone, ensuring pedestrians and motorcycle riders are seen and protected.

For more details on vehicle blind zones, read the article, “New IIHS measurement technique points to growth in vehicle blind zones,” at https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/new-iihs-measurement-technique-points-to-growth-in-vehicle-blind-zones

It’s crucial to pay attention to the factors behind July’s motorcycle crashes and understand detailed and accurate reports help ensure the data collected reflects the actual circumstances of each incident. Comprehensive data allows for identifying patterns and trends, such as common causes, locations or times of day when crashes occur. These statistics emphasize the critical importance of motorcycle safety awareness and proactive measures to prevent future tragedies.

Amidst the critical mission of ensuring operational readiness, the efforts of motorcycle safety representatives (MSR), supervisors and collateral duty safety officers persist in keeping your personnel current with their training and licensing. The Rider Down reports are indispensable tools in your arsenal, integral to safety and training briefs. Their insights and analysis are invaluable in understanding the factors contributing to crashes and formulating preventive measures.

To those with Risk Management Information (RMI) access, we’ve integrated the Rider Down reports within RMI. Once logged into RMI, click on the left-hand tab under “Pubs and Refs” homepage and proceed to “Motorcycle Rubber Side Down” to subscribe to and view these publications. The site contains the current year motorcycle publications produced for Navy and Marine Corps MSRs, riders and safety professionals.

More information, videos and archived newsletters can be found on the Naval Safety Command website: https://navalsafetycommand.navy.mil/Media/Mags-Pubs/Motorcycle-Rider-Down-Reports-Newsletters/.

In the pursuit of safety, every detail matters. Do not ignore even the minor factors, as this raises your risk and may result in a collision. Factors provided from the crashes on the following pages are based on the information presented in the operations reports and the investigator’s reports, most of which are still under investigation. Remove one factor and the crash may not have occurred.

Editor’s Note: Low speed vehicles (LSVs), neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs), mopeds and scooters are considered motor vehicles when operated on the highways, per OPNAV M-5100.23 (Series).