I did not say that they were not safe. I do not find a mirror helpful when negotiating in and around slow moving (or gridlocked) vehicular traffic. In these circumstance my attention is fixed completely on what is happening in front of me (especially given that I am often cycling through slower moving traffic at much higher speeds). Basically, in an urban environment I am simply not that concerned about the dangers of same direction vehicle traffic. Intersections, abrupt lane changes by motorists, cut-offs, crossovers, and pull-outs are what concern me.

I use a Take-A-Look mirror. The thing I noticed after a few months of using it was that my riding behavior had changed in subtle ways. When bicycle lanes were absent I found I was occupying the lane more. When a vehicle approached I moved slightly out of the way around the same time the vehicle would move in the other direction to overtake, thus creating more space for an overtake. Rather than play submissive on the road and let drivers decide how much room I should have I found that I was able to control overtake clearance to a great extent. My mirror has allowed me to do this. I read road psychology better, and as someone else has noticed, also get out of the way early enough if I see a nutcase accelerating/weaving behind me.

Not all mirrors are alike. Some handlebar mounted stuff and badly vibrating helmet mounted stuff can actually make the situation worse. But a properly mounted mirror is an asset, there is no doubt about it. This is not to say shoulder checks should be forbidden. By all means shoulder check. Sometimes drivers like to see that in acknowledgment of their presence. A mirror can have blind spots. Use both techniques liberally and ride safe.

Yeah, my older car has mirrors but I felt they were useless because I never felt comfortable assuming that I could see everything, so I always had to turn and look anyways. If I'm going to do that anyways, don't see any point in adding a "can sorta see the road" mirror. When I bought a new car I was worried that I wouldn't be able to see out the back, but the mirrors on newer cars are so much bigger and better I can actually use the mirror.

If there was a really good rearview camera for the bike available, I'd buy that, but Cerrevellum tanked, and the rearview camera sold on amazon seems to have screen glare problems. I'd really feel more comfortable **actually** being able to see behind me while riding, I don't see the utility in half-assed mirrors that kinda-sorta-maybe show behind you.

Well, yeah. But like I said, for many (most?) cyclists, those are not typical riding conditions.

I think this is one of those hot-button things, because I was thinking the same about you. But hey, it's Friday night. Let's chill, okay? :beer:

In NYC apartment buildings, there are mirrors placed in the hallways so you can see if anyone is coming up behind you. I'm glad they're there. I'm glad there are mirrors for bike riders too.

Well it’s now Saturday afternoon, and I just finished a 60 mile ride while pondering my use of the mirrors. Yesterday I tried to reassess my position about the utility of mirrors by asking the questions, What are the downsides?... When would mirrors be dangerous?

Personally I avoided eyeglass mirrors for years with the worry of an eye injury. After dislodging and/or breaking handlebar and helmet mirrors, I started wearing an eyeglass mirror since I wear eyeglasses anyways, and “never looked back.” A Michigan subscriber, ItsJustMe does relate the story of an eye injury.

A second danger might be that one would dwell on the mirror and neglect the forward view. Highly unlikely, IMO. After one glance in the mirror, with the assurance that nothing is behind for the time being, one can enjoy the ride even more for that period of time until the next rearward glance.

Occasionally subscribers report that they just can't get used to a mirror, and I suppose that trying to use the mirror might be a hazardous distraction to such cyclists.

I read that referenced blog:

Both the original poster and nearly all of the 58 responses were favorably disposed to the use of a mirror. A notable reply was:

So here is a reason why those who "make their living by cycling,” might not use a mirror while on the job.

So while on my ride this morning, I analyzed how I look rearward. When I tried a quick shoulder check it usually was a turn of the head, and to see a total 180°, I was using only my peripheral, less acute visual fields, Since it was early in the morning, on one shoulder check I looked directly into the obscuring glare of the sun.

I was unwilling to totally rotate my head and shoulders in order to acquire a 180° rearward view to use my central visual fields. Such an extreme rotation would take longer and distract my forward view and more likely predispose to deviation from forward motion. A rearview mirror always allows 180° rearward vision with central visual fields, and no rotation of the head or torso.

At one point on my ride I was descending a hill at about 25 mph on a shaded and sun-dappled road with scattered potholes and a lot of wind noise. I took the full lane with confidence by glancing in my mirror, whereas a head/shoulder-check would have been more dangerous at that speed to encounter a pothole.

My conclusions are that two of the most strongly stated dismissals of the mirror on this thread are fallacious:

• that a quick shoulder check can sufficiently monitor a 180° field of view comparable to a mirror [and when riding in the winter with my neck swathed by coverings, a head check is even more restricted]
  
  
• in my experience as an urban cyclist, that mirrors are "essentially useless when negotiating dynamic and dense urban traffic." My routes are characterized often by parked cars on the right, often in business districts where an open door is to be expected, or with potholes concentrated on the right side. Meanwhile traffic is passing to my inmmediate left, and I need to quickly know the best way to avoid the obstacle while keeping it in the line of sight.

You are building a straw man by taking statements that reflect my personal experience and trying to make them universal. I never ride anywhere near doors and rarely commute on the right side of the lane. For example, I just road on a major arterial (Chavez-39th) with tons of Sat traffic and biked at 18-30 (hill) right smack in the middle of the lane the whole way without incident.

Moreover, many cyclists in portland commute in a bike facility for most of their trip. I would hope that most would agree that no one *needs* a mirror when toodling along at 12 mph on a bike boulevard!

I think the fact that mirror users are having a hard time imagining scenarios where a mirror would not be necessary speaks to the dogmatism of this argument (see helment argument).

It sounds as if the driver of the truck was at fault. Don't blame yourself, or get discouraged. We all have our moments, being set upon by idiots.

FWIW, your ears are your best friends. Use them.

With the increasing number of electric cars, which make a lot less noise, this is becoming less true. I know I've almost been run over a couple of times by cars here in NYC because I didn't hear them coming.

All the more reason for using your ears. Listen for the crunch of rubber upon gravel.

o