I’m not a new rider, but haven’t ridden in years and am planning to start back before too long. A couple of times, I’ve seen here people blame “target fixation” for their mishaps. I know what this is; it’s the idea that you will go in the direction that you look. I’ve seen how it applies in learning to ice skate and to fly an airplane (looking at your hopeful landing point inevitably leads to a crappy landing).
What concerns me is that people are riding on the street while susceptible to target fixation. It’s apparent to me that this is an indicator that quite a bit more practice and/or training is needed. To be more blunt about it, if a rider is likely to fall victim to this, it’s just no surprise that he or she will be crashing in a serious accident.
I think a rider should be able to automatically and reflexively change their direction in response to the road ahead and to surprise hazards. I understand, of course, that not all surprises can be avoided, but the “muscle memory” should be there 100% before riding on a busy public road. Thoughts and opinions about this?