Saccadic masking, they call it, and it’s the reason so many drivers fail to see motorbike riders when on the road, Ulysses Club Orange branch secretary, Lee Cook, believes. Described as “a natural process whereby the brain temporarily blocks visual processing during fast eye movements to stop you from seeing motion blur”, it is also why the Motorcycle Council of NSW sets aside October each year as Motorcycle Awareness Month, he added.

To highlight the issue, local awareness groups, sponsors, and bikers have organised a “Ride Blue” tour on Sunday, October 18, for what Mr Cook said would be a “huge” event.

“Riders from all over the Central West – Orange, Mudgee, Bathurst, Cowra, Dubbo, and Parkes – will leave on October 18 to meet together at Cumnock,” Mr Cook revealed. “Ride Blue is a mental health awareness ride which strongly supports the activities of Motorcycle Awareness Month,” he added.

As a warm-up for the event, Mr Cook and a cohort of other older riders from the Orange Ulysses Club were promoting biker safety before they headed off for their weekly ride from the railway station, with many having experienced the dangers of the road themselves. “Every Wednesday morning, we meet and go to all sorts of places for coffee: The Beekeepers’ Inn, Blayney, Molong, Cudal, Manildra; ask all these guys, they’ll all have the same stories,” Mr Cook revealed. “There was a guy killed at Lithgow in the last two weeks, and a drover on a bike herding sheep was killed by a truck at Parkes also.”

Club member and former postie with thousands of hours of riding behind him, Garry Feeney, said, as a biker, you have to have your eyes peeled at all times. “What you have to look out for is inattentive drivers. Every second year as a postman, we all did an advanced riding course,” Mr Feeney explained. “Those skills relate to what you do on your own bike. It also comes in handy when you’re in a car also, because, when you’re on a bike, they don’t see you!”

This effect, called “inattentional blindness”, is the catalyst for many bike/car collisions and occurs when a driver visually “sees” a motorcyclist, but the rider’s smaller profile does not register in their brain as another vehicle.

Motorcycle Awareness Month encourages “everyday behaviours” that can reduce risk on our roads. For drivers, that means expecting to see motorcycles and taking another look just in case. For riders, it means making active choices to be seen, create space, and manage risk, because safer roads are something we all need to work on.

Another local event, Mr Cook explained, is Ride to Work Week later in the month, aimed at encouraging motorcycling as a viable, efficient, and practical daily commuting alternative. The initiative highlights the benefits of riding to work, including reduced traffic congestion, easier parking, and lower environmental impact. It will run from Monday to Friday, October 26–30.

“Our local Ulysses group also raises motorcyclists’ visibility by regularly travelling in a group rather than individually; this means if there is any sort of incident, a rider knows that there is someone else keeping an eye out for them,” Mr Cook said. “Many motorcyclists, particularly those in the Ulysses Club, have been riding for 60–80 years, because motorcycling is a great way to travel; as we work co-operatively with drivers, we can ensure many more make it to those numbers,” he concluded.

If you or someone you know needs support, please call: 13 11 14 – Lifeline, lifeline.org.au; 1300 22 4636 – Beyond Blue, beyondblue.org.au.