The eye contact thing is a way of being aware of what the other car is doing. If it makes you feel better to concentrate on the front bumper or the front tire, that's your choice. In fifty years of riding, city and country, summer and winter, pavement and gravel, a lot of it too fast, I've mostly stayed upright, avoided being hit, and, except for MX incidents, avoided injury. Now in my seventies, I'm a little more cautious because I am aware of my personal limitations (rickety body. slower reflexes). I have also seen the incredible increase in the volume of traffic and this is the biggest concern to anyone on the road.
I've had some experiences which, if not for pure, dumb luck, could have ended badly. One time, I was traveling from Spokane to Calgary and making pretty good time on my naked Gold Wing. I was running at about 100mph, reeling in the cars and just cruising by. I was going so much faster than the traffic that I was paying little attention to my mirrors. As I approached another car and got ready to pass, I did glance into the mirror in time to see two guys on GPz 1100's travelling at least thirty mph faster than I was. That was a lesson I never forgot and was glad to have learned it; always be aware of what's happening around you, not just in front.
The only time I went down on the street happened in a construction zone where a short section of street was being repaved. They had oiled the road just as a big thunderstorm hit so the road surface was fresh oil with a layer of water on top. This surface is just about tractionless but I was in traffic and had no option. There were no signs and no real warning so I had no choice but to continue forward. Any attempt to do anything other than ride straight ahead would have ended in a fall anyway so ride ahead I did. It was going well and I was almost through when the old couple in the Explorer ahead of me, decided to slow way down to negotiate the little bump at the end. I had no choice but to try and avoid the rear end of said Explorer and as soon as I twitched, down I went. Ruined my jacket, scuffed my helmet on the curb, bruised my elbow. Minor damage to the bike. The explorer drove off, oblivious. The guy behind me, in a car, got past me without running over me. The lesson there? Stuff happens. There was nothing I could have done differently. Weather and city workers set me up and the tentative driver in the explorer knocked me down. Heavy traffic took my options away. If I had been aware of the oil earlier, I might have been able to detour. So, look further ahead might be the only lesson here.
I spent years commuting on a motorcycle and the whole family spent time touring. My father rode, my brothers ride, my son rides. I've witnessed one fatality of a rider while I was riding. He did something stupid and it bit him.
One thing I see a lot of in recent years is the large group of bikes riding in formation, slightly below the speed limit, with the lineup of traffic behind them. These guys are a rolling road hazard and poor representatives of motorcyclists. GD
