Sometimes We Don’t See What’s Right In Front of Us by Safety Motivational Speaker John Drebinger
As I have mentioned before, in addition to being a safety motivational speaker, I am a member of the Academy of Magical Arts, Hollywood Magic Castle (www.magiccastle.com). It is where I have learned many of the magic tricks I use as a safety speaker, to keep meetings fun and effective. Several years ago, I had the privilege of watching one of the world’s top magicians do a coin trick in the closeup-room of the Magic Castle. It was a beautiful routine where coins vanish from one location and appear in another over one-foot away.
In the middle of the routine, the magician made an error and flipped over two coins which had been altered for the trick. They had been machined in such a way they could conceal additional coins. When you machine an American half-dollar coin this way the inside is copper while the top of the coin has a silver-looking finish.
When the two coins flipped over one could presume the trick was ruined. After all, right there in front of everyone were now two copper objects instead of the half-dollar coin. The magician, being a great pro, calmly flipped the two coins right side up and proceeded as if nothing happened. The trick was great and you could hear gasps from audience members as it continued to amaze them. It was as if nothing had gone wrong.
After the performance, I talked with several of the audience members and not one of them had seen the machined coins flipped over. What was going on? How could they have missed it? The phenomenon that explains this is important to us in the field of safety.
What had happened was each audience member saw the machined coin and because it didn’t exist in their world the image went from their eye to the optic nerve and to their brain. The brain, as an amazing computer, altered their perception of the coin to match what they knew to be real. Just as a computer photo of the moon is enhanced and altered to take out anomalies, the mind did the same thing.
I have been sharing that story for years when I talk to people who are motorcycle riders. My point to them is for me, a driver of cars, who has never ridden a motorcycle (my mom would have killed me), I do not have a frame of reference for how a motorcycle maneuvers down the road. When they are in a place they can access and I can’t in a car, my mind can make them invisible because it doesn’t believe something could be in such a space.
Understanding this means each one of us must be a defensive driver watching out for the unexpected and the unseen. This level of vigilance is critical because each of us works and drives around people who may or may not see us. Add into this equation the many distractions to driving our modern technology has created and it is a miracle more people do not collide more often.
It is also helpful to think of this concept when you encounter a child on a bicycle. They have no idea how a car operates and what its limitations are in terms of avoidance and stopping quickly. They may pull out in front of you because they think you can stop or they may have no concept of the injuries they may sustain.
Be safe as you help others get home safely from your workplace every day.
Yours in Service,
John
