In 3 of my 4 incidents with cars over the last 30 years, it's been mirrors that tagged me, 2 of those were LEO's
. The 4 was t-bone into a left turner. I've been lucky in that only two of these resulting in me on the pavement, the other two were just some nasty bruises.
Using mirrors on the bike is a good thing, but it has to be part of the normal scan, if you are looking in the mirror you aren't watching what is in front of you. In some motorcycle safety courses and combat pilot training they teach the same concept, and it applies to us as cyclist. Threat assessment. Scan, Evaluate, Prepare, Act, Repeat. Always know what is around you, but even that won't protect you all the time.We have to change the culture of drivers first, and that only happens as more people get out and ride.
We can get angry, but the reality is, hostility breeds hostility. So long as we live in the us versus them hive mentality, we perpetuate the loop. Educate, be nice, engage and help change the culture that makes it 'popular' to "hate bicyclists" or to "hate cagers".
I'm thrilled that the OP survived this, and is handling it as gracefully as he is. I just hope that we as cyclists can follow his lead and be graceful about it as well.