Glad For My Navy Days
 

Back in my Naval Aviation days, we had a saying; "keep your head on a swivel." That kept you from getting sucked into a jet intake, blow over by jet or prop exhaust or getting your head sliced off by rotating props.

I've always tried to maintain that attitude when riding my bike. It paid off for me today as a woman in a Lexus made a left turn in front of me in an intersection. She was on her phone and not paying attention, even though we made eye contact. Came pretty close to having to be shopping for new fairings. But thankfully, no contact and I stayed upright.

Glad you avoided trouble.

A carrier deck is a dangerous place. Lack of attention to detail can get a young airman (or a silly young Ensign) killed. Glad you're bringing our ethic to two wheels!

By keeping your head on a "swivel" you mean keeping it moving and scanning for dangers at all times? I'm curious about what other training they give you visually? Is there any kind of training for keeping your peripheral vision open or out "wide" or for any other awareness type training? I'm glad that the advice paid off for you!

Yep. Pretty much that. It also means to attempt to try and know what the other person is intending. For example, a pilot is concerned about listening to the tower, taking off and getting in the air in a safe manner. He isn't concerned about the lineman walking around on the deck. It's the lineman's responsibility to know what the pilots normal intentions are, and stay out of the way.
Pretty much the same way with motorcycles. The people in the cars, delivery trucks, etc. tend not to pay attention to anything other than what they are focused on doing. That's why it's so important to try an anticipate what they will do.
As to the training, one of the best training aids was watching video footage of airman not paying attention and getting sucked into intakes. One moment they're there. The next, they are not. Sticks in your memory.

Glad that you're okay! :)

Wow, ya, that would get your attention pretty quick. EEK. I like how you say that you really have to try to anticipate what others are doing around you when riding. When I first started riding I found that I was getting "cut off" a lot by people changing lanes into me. When I complained about how bad drivers were to a more seasoned rider he said "it's your fault for not seeing it soon enough." At first I thought it had nothing to do with me but after trying to SEE more of what was going on around me I was suddenly able to anticipate what the drivers were going to do and it no longer surprised me. I was much more aware of my surroundings so I always had an escape route planned and EXPECTED people to cut me off or come into my lane.

Makes a big difference!

How do you practice visual awareness? Or how do you improve in this area?

Some people have a tendency to only see what's right in front of them. IMHO, you need to be looking at where you want to be, as well as where you are. The farther out you can see things, the more time you have to react.
I grew up in an area, and still live in one that has tons of deer. I learned early on to scan the ditches and brush line of roads for deer. For whatever reason, they love trying to play tag with vehicles. If you see one far enough out, you can slow down enough to avoid being "it". Now, many years later, I don't even think about it. I can pick out deer, turkey's and all other kind of animals without even thinking about it. Kind of drives my wife crazy as she can't figure out how I do it. :-)