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Old 05-02-13, 02:35 PM
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Rob_E
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Originally Posted by hyhuu
I don't have a mirro on my bike .... yet but I have a couple questions for those who do. 1) Since getting hit behind is fairly rare, do you think being able to see something approaching from behind can actually help you prevent being hit?
Maybe. Getting hit from behind is relatively rare, but then getting hit at all is relatively rare. And, if I can remember statistics, I think rear collisions, while rare, have the highest fatality rate, so they may still be the ones you want to guard against. That said, whether you know that there's something behind you because of a mirror, because of listening, or from turning your head, it's unlikely that the vehicle is going to give you any indication that it's going to hit you. That's why, even though I love my mirror, I try not to over emphasize the safety aspects. You don't generally dodge cars on your commute, at least I don't. Riding in a safe, predictable manner should be all you need to do, even if you remain ignorant of everything behind you. That said, I was once riding down a long, straight, two lane road with almost no shoulder and 55 mph traffic. In my mirror I could see that one car was trying to pass another, but that it would be unable to pass before an oncoming car met them. I made the decision to ride off the road, and one of the cars passed me by inches. I can't say I would have been hit had I stayed on the road, but it sure seemed that way. The other way the mirror can help, and this is far more common for me to see, is that if I see a car behind me with its right turn signal on, and that car then passes me, I pay extra attention to the possibility that it's going to turn right right in front of me, which happens a little too often. Right hooks are a little more common than rear collisions, I think.

Originally Posted by hyhuu
2) What does "awareness" of the surrouding buy you in terms of safety?
I doubt there are any numbers for that. It's largely subjective. What I find is that the mirror makes lane changes and left turns much easier, and, to my mind, safer. If I can look in the mirror and see that the road behind me is clear, then I can limit the amount of time my focus is away from what's in front of me. Or, if the road behind me is no clear, I can decide whether I need to change lanes, or take the lane in preparation for a turn, or if I have time to let the overtaking car pass before I move left.

Originally Posted by hyhuu
and 3) Even with the mirror, do you still turn around to look before you turn? Thanks.
It depends on the situation and the mirror. With my eyeglass mounted mirror, I can get a pretty good view of the road behind me. If I can see that it's empty, I may not turn around. If I can see that there are vehicles, but they are far enough away to allow a merge, I usually double check that situation. I don't have as good visibility with a mirror mounted on the bike. In that case, I will almost always turn my head to double check.
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