Originally Posted by
Papa Tom
Honestly, I think daytime lights AND mirrors (bar or helmet) should be REQUIRED on all bikes ridden on the road; but as long as they aren't, I'd like drivers to know that I am using one.
Agreed 100%.
It’d be only slightly different if people took driving seriously instead of it just being one of those things like eating, pooping, or working which they casually do while doing super important things on their phone.
Lights & mirrors are not accessories just because manufacturers don’t include them as part of the package of a “complete” bike... They’re essential safety features of a vehicle intended to be used on public roads.
I definitely think that there ought to be laws which make the only way to purchase a new bike without car-like bright lights and a mirror is with a racing license and signing a manufacturer release stating that your only intended use for the unlit bike is sanctioned competition events.
Does it create a barrier of entry? Sure. So to does language and a whole lot of other things (like a vast majority of traffic law) that make societies work well.
It used to be that mirrors, headlights, and taillights were optional extras on cars. The world is a better place now that they’re required.
———
OT: I like bar end mirrors, not for the OP’s reason (I doubt many drivers are looking at my head till they feel my eyes looking for theirs), I like being able to block the mirror with my arm till I need to see it- very useful for the 9 months of the year I’m in the dark.