Whitley, West Midlands - All too often we see what we expect to see; when we're driving that can be lethal for the people we don't expect to see - cyclists.
Thousands of cyclists are killed or injured on the roads each year by drivers who, for the most part, are not homicidal maniacs - they just didn't see them - and no amount of brightly coloured, dayglo or reflective clothing is going to help that.
However, humans have a powerful defensive response, dating back to the days when sabre-toothed tigers were at the apex of the food chain and we were more prey than predators, to an unexpected noise coming from very close by or, even more so, a tap on the shoulder.
Now Jaguar Land Rover is using that primitive survival instinct in its research into the best way to warn a driver of impending collisions with bicycles and motorbikes - warnings we can't ignore even if we want to because they're hard-wired into our subconscious.
It's called Bike Sense and, like most brilliant ideas, it's deceptively simple.
WORKING ON INSTINCT
Sensors on the car detect the present of bikers and cyclists and use simple range-finding software to predict whether they're on a collision course with your car - there's nothing new about that.
But this is where it gets brilliant: instead of a neat little triangular warning icon on the instrument panel and a polite, almost apologetic 'bing-bong!' which is processed by the 'thinking' part of the driver's brain - if it's processed at all! - the system uses colours, sounds and physical touch that your subconscious will associate with danger.
To help you understand where the bike is in relation to your car, the system will play the sound of a bicycle bell or high-pitched motorcycle hooter through the car's audio system, using the speaker nearest the oncoming two-wheeler so you'll know at a subconscious level where the bike is coming from.
If the bicycle or motorcycle is coming up behind your car, the top of the car seat will extend to tap you on left or right shoulder, depending on which side your are about to be overtaken, causing you to look instinctively over that shoulder - whether you want to or not.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE
As the bike gets closer, a row of LED lights on the window sills, dashboard and windscreen pillars will glow amber and then red, highlighting the direction in which the bike is moving.
Jaguar Land Rover research director Dr Wolfgang Epple said: “Humans have developed an instinctive awareness of danger over thousands of years. Certain colours, such as red and yellow, will trigger an immediate response, while everybody recognises the sound of a bicycle bell.
“Bike Sense takes us beyond the current technologies of hazard indicators and icons in wing mirrors, using warnings that register at a subconscious level.”
If a group of cyclists, motorbikes or pedestrians are moving around the car on a busy urban street, the range-finding software will prioritise the most immediate hazards - i.e. the one you'll hit first - so that you're not overwhelmed or distracted with light or sound.
Bike Sense will also be able to identify hazards that the driver can't see, says Epple. If a pedestrian or cyclist is crossing the road, for example, but you can't see them because there's a stationary vehicle in the way, the system will draw your attention to the danger using directional light and sound.
And if you ignore the warnings and presse the accelerator, Bike Sense will make the accelerator pedal vibrate or feel stiff, so you instinctively know not to move the car forwards until the hazard has been avoided.
Bike Sense will also help prevent car doors being opened into the path of bikes when it's parked. If you start to open the door, the door handle will light up, vibrate and buzz to alert you to the danger.