On Your Left
Do you sometimes get confused between left and right?
Cycling has been one of my favorite ways to get out in the fresh air and get some exercise for quite a few years. There is a great camaraderie between cyclists, runners and walkers as we all know how good it feels to be out there having fun. We all recognize the great feelings we get from taking part in our favorite outdoor activities.
But one of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that we don’t always pay as much attention as we should to what’s happening behind us when we’re out and about. I’m as guilty of this as anyone but I always try to give as much warning as I can to those in front of me that I’m catching up to.
During one such event recently, I noticed something that I’ve often seen and I’m sure you have too!
I was cycling on a trail and was catching up quite quickly to a man and woman running along side by side and being deep in a conversation about something or other. As I got within about twenty feet of them I called out my usual warning ‘On your left’. To which there was no response and they carried on chatting. I called out again and this time they heard me, the woman moved to the right but, as sometimes happens, the guy moved to the left!
I’ve experienced this kind of confusion before and I’d anticipated this possibility and luckily, I was able to pass between them without any danger of collision and we all went happily on our way.
“Twenty percent of the population has right and left confusion, meaning that they can’t immediately tell their right from their left without having to think about it first. That means if I say, “Raise your right hand” to a group of people, 20% might raise their left or have to take a few moments to think about it” – according to Professor John Clarke from Drexel University, Philadelphia.
Discriminating between left and right is actually quite a complex process in human’s brain. Writing in The Conversation, Gerard Gormley from Queen’s University, Belfast, says it involves “several higher neurological functions such as the ability to integrate sensory and visual information, language function and memory”.
This kind of near miss also is one of the reasons that made me want to develop Itsabell, the App that gives you an early warning when another runner, cyclist or vehicle is catching you up from behind.
Itsabell will emit a warning signal according to the profile chosen by each on both phones of users. Whether it’s a bicycle bell, a whistle from a jogger, or even a car horn, you’ll always know in real time what to expect in traffic and never be surprised by the unknown.
