Seeing Vs Looking

I was waiting for an appointment the other day when I struck up a conversation with another woman in the lobby. She noticed my bike helmet and the conversation quickly turned to a discussion of cars versus cyclists.

It was just on of those casual conversations you have with a stranger in passing. After voicing the usual complaint about cyclists never stopping for red lights she added that she just “was not looking for cyclists.”

I started thinking about the word “looking.” Do drivers only see what they are looking for? And are they only looking for other cars? Which would mean, to a driver, a city intersection looks like this:

This is possibly the greatest visual example of this phenomenon I have ever witnessed.  From the always amazing Bikeyface, if you are not reading her comic you should start today!

I created the gif, go to the bikeyface website to see it in all its glory.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet