work4bike

The rationale that mirrors should not be used because they are a distraction makes as much sense as not using hammers because you smash your fingers -- who hasn't done that?

Yes, mirrors can be a distraction, so it's up to the user to learn to use them in a way so they are not a distraction, just as you learn to use a hammer as a tool or a saw or a...

The fact is, you have to learn that on a bike anything can be a distraction, i.e. a hot babe in a bikini (I live in Florida ). Looking ahead at various things can be a distraction, especially if you're trying to decide what a car or a pedestrian is doing, anyone that has ridden a bike for any amount of time, especially in traffic, knows how dangerous it is to be distracted, you gotta always be looking around.

I ride in very heavy traffic without shoulders, I don't just need to know if there is a car behind me, I need to know what they are doing. I know there are cars behind me, don't need a mirror for that, it's the knowing what they are doing. Without a mirror I'm placing too much trust in motorists.

The idea that I only need to keep watch on what's ahead is just crazy. I'm watching all around, I don't leave my safety in the hands of others.

Deal4Fuji

I'm a much more vigilant mirror user since I was hit, ironically by a pick-up truck mirror being broken off on my hip. I learned a valuable lesson to make sure I'm getting clearance from behind. I had a mirror at the time of being hit, but only used it to take the lane on a turn...now I'm checking behind me frequently. I still do a quick head turn to verify before taking the lane, but I'll always have a mirror on any bike I ride in traffic.

JoeyBike

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Chris0516

In the vein of anything on a bike being a distraction. That is not entirely accurate.

When I said that mirrors are a distraction for me. It is more than just a distraction. It is something I have to focus on, that is constantly moving. Sort of like trying to read a book as a passenger in a vehicle. When the vehicle is going down a bumpy gravel road. Because, For me, just trying to focus on a mirror that moves with handlebars is exasperating. A mirror on my helmet felt like, I had a big bug in my face.

A bike computer does move with the handlebars. But the radius of the movement. Is far less than a mirror on the handlebars.

Equinox

I wonder what you do with the information you get from your mirror. The risk of distraction is minor when obtaining that information, but processing and deciding on action must be a significant distraction. What do you do with that information? It's true there are cars behind us all the time, and you don't need a mirror to know that. The most important information I would get from a mirror is if a car is going to hit me and what evasive action I should take. That's a big decision and it consumes time (distraction). I think it would make me paranoid and give me "false positives".

JoeyBike

When seat-belt laws were first enacted my grandmother hated the shoulder strap and thought it was going to give her breast cancer.

New things take getting used to.

Some of us, it appears, have more capacity for processing information quickly and accurately, without undue mental stress, than others. At least from what I gather reading the commentary on this thread and other mirror threads.

I would venture a bold theory here: If someone can process information gathered from THREE mirrors while operating a motor vehicle in dense traffic traveling at 102 feet per second (70mph) keeping the vehicle between two sets of painted lines while dialing in satellite radio and chatting with a passenger, they SHOULD be able to handle a friggin' bike mirror at 15mph.

I don't stop needlessly for red lights because I don't want to. Some cyclists do not use a mirror because they don't want to. If they truly CAN'T figure out a simple mirror, given all of the styles out there for sale, then perhaps there is another list of things they shouldn't be doing either.
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Equinox

I really think relating bike mirrors to mirrors in a car is not a good comparison at all. Totally different experiences.
I know that bike mirror advocates make that comparison all the time, but i don't think it's legitimate.

JoeyBike

True, there is no comparison. Car mirrors point where they point, which is why we need three of them. My tiny mirror on my helmet visor can be TURNED to see literally 150 degrees of scenery behind me just by swiveling my neck a tiny bit. I can actually look in my left mirror and see over my RIGHT shoulder to determine if that car entering the highway behind me is turning my way or going the other way.

I agree. No comparison. My bike mirror is so much more effective and easier to use than auto mirrors.
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work4bike

I don't know what to say to that. It's really not that difficult to focus in on a car in my mirror, or even another cyclist. I can't speak to helmet-mounted mirrors -- I've always used the handlebar mounted designs.

I'm not sure what you're saying about computers and mirrors on handlebars -- I don't see any comparison, other than computers can also be considered distractions, but I'll keep using them also, just have to teach yourself not to be distracted.

Camilo

For some reason, people who advocate mirrors seem to think that those of us who either don't find them useful or find them distracting aren't able to ride safely. Same goes for the anti-headphone crowd.

It may be surprising, that I don't use a mirror (for the above two reasons) and listen to music when riding and can ride perfectly safely, or at least safe enough.

But people who are set on their own nanny vision of what's safe and what's not probably don't believe this and think they're somehow smarter or more thoughtful than the rest of us.

Chris0516

Bike computers are positioned on the center of the handlebars. Mirrors are positioned on the end of the handlebars. They are not centered.

I am not saying you shouldn't use mirrors at all. I am just saying from a personal observation.

While I have a bike computer, I glance at it only occasionally. I don't have to turn my head left or right to look at it, just down.

Equinox

That's my only issue with folks who advocate mirrors. Many assume they are safer than folks who do not use mirrors, and that's not true. Do it if it works for you. I don't use one, and I feel as safe as the next rider.

Ear buds seriously worry me. They curtail a potentially vital sensory input; one i rely one as much as vision. The sounds of my ride are one of my great joys as well. Save your earbuds for your indoor workouts. Your safety and fun matters to me.

JoeyBike

Most cyclists killed by motorists are run over from behind. If you limit your sensory input by wearing blinders and ear plugs it just seems like common sense that you are going to be less aware and less "safe" in traffic. So there is your reason.

Darwin's popular theory has been modified from Survival of the "Fittest" to Survival of the "Fit Enough". So your statement does have some truth. You only need to be "safe enough" to get by. Until you don't.

Us nannys know one thing for sure....we may not be smarter, but we are more alive than many of the cyclists featured in A&S who didn't worry about what was happening behind them.
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vol

Have there been accidents due to bike mirror "distraction"?

Equinox

I guess I wouldn't be totally surprised, but I'm not certain I believe that most cyclists are killed by being hit from behind.
Most of the crashes I have direct knowledge of were some version of broadside.
And simply having a mirror does not guarantee that you won't be hit from behind. You would have to obtain that information and then act appropriately based upon that information in the time and space available to complete that maneuver. That takes a lot of attention on what's behind you.Attention that 's not being paid to what's in front of you.

work4bike

You learn to move your eyes mostly. However, the slight head movement for using a mirror is far less than looking behind yourself. I don't think there's much difference between my head movement when looking at my computer vs. my mirror. Maybe I'll look into that next time I'm on the bike

To all others: I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing anyone -- I don't care if anyone uses a mirror or not, my only point in getting into this conversation is to counter any ideas that mirrors are unsafe because they are a distraction. I really don't care if anyone uses them or not, but for me and my riding style, a mirror fits perfectly.



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work4bike

It use to be a real concern for me when I first started cycling, but so to with my computer, I'd get distracted with this or that stat, but I've learned to do quick glances and not get distracted. Now, if could just learn to stop looking at all the hot babes in thongs...

Chris0516

I quickly turn my head, instead.

dynodonn

I got caught up in using a computer, just to see what my speed and distances were. For a short while, I started obsessing on increasing my speed and furthering my distances, only to come to my senses when the computer battery died, ending a distraction that I did not need while on my urban commutes.

L134 

If traffic is heavy and faster than you can ride, to be able to avoid getting hit from behind one would have to be spending more time looking behind than ahead. That doesn't seem safe to me. Also, I suspect that in those instances where one would be hit from behind, the odds are one would not be looking behind at precisely the right moment nor would they be able to take effective evasive action even if they were looking at exactly the right moment. If traffic speeds are much faster than me and there is inadequate shoulder or no bike lane, I'm looking for a different route.

If I am riding in heavy traffic and able to keep pace, I take my lane and I look forward. Again, if I were to get rear ended, there is little likelihood I would be able to do anything about it anyway.

If there is intermitent traffic traveling faster than I, I ride a bit further left so as to be more visible and do a slight fade to the right as I hear the traffic closing so as to give myself a few extra inches over what the driver calculated was safe for passing.

Of course, the safest thing to do is just stay in bed.

Camilo

Thanks for proving my point!

JoeyBike

Please don't go out and prove mine. I would rather be wrong.

vol

One important use of the mirrors for me is to spot any large trucks coming from behind, and be prepared to avoid being close to it.

SHBR

Intersections and lane changes require a quick head turn to confirm that the mirror is correct. Also, this helps to show other road users I'm aware of them. I find mirrors to be most useful when I am stopped, or for looking far into the distance.

Another point, plastic mirrors suck, real glass with metal hardware is much more effective.

Leisesturm

I am interested in further details of how this works, thanks.