Mirror, Mirror on the wall…er, bike
Someone asked me the other day what I thought
about the use of mirrors while riding a bicycle. I think he expected me to just
say, "I don’t like them" or "I do like them." What he
didn’t realize is that you don’t ask a long-winded bike nut a simple
question and expect to get a short answer. As I think about it, I’m torn
between the safety issue and the "being too cool for mirrors" attitude
that many competitive riders have about "accessories" cluttering up
their expensive toys. Hey, think about it…you don’t see too many riders with
shaved legs riding around with a mirror do you? It’s probably because all the
advantage of having shaved legs is completely negated by the drag caused by a
mirror either on your handlebars or your helmet. Seriously, my position is if
you use a mirror, use it for the right reasons but don’t be lulled into a
false sense of security and neglect an important cycling skill…scanning.
Why should you use a mirror?
Security: Many who "swear" by
mirrors say that they just feel better by being able to see behind. This is
obviously a valid reason to use one. Feeling comfortable while riding should
make you ride more relaxed and allow you to simply handle the bike better and
enjoy riding more.
Safety: Being able to see traffic coming from
behind is important. If you see that a motorist is not going to give you
sufficient room, you can "take the ditch." But can you really tell in
that tiny reflective device just how close traffic is going to pass you, if you
need to take evasive action, or what action to take?
Physical impairment: Some people can’t turn
their neck far enough to view traffic. This IS the most important reason
(in my opinion) to use a mirror; however, if you have a stiff upper body, you
should still practice proper signaling and realize the implications of not
physically scanning.
As I stated above, can you really tell much about traffic approaching from the rear? Other than just knowing it’s there, what else can you tell from a mirror. I think the answer is…not much. You should be more concerned with what’s in front of you. Statistics taken by the League of American Bicyclists have shown that over 90% of all accidents involving bicycles happen in front of the cyclist; not from something behind the cyclist. Furthermore, of the remaining 10% of accidents, only 3% of those are caused by errors by a motorist. This would indicate to me that it is more important to ride in a predictable manner and to not do something foolish like turning left from the right side of the road. Even though these statistics show that there is a miniscule chance that a motorist (or something else) could hit you from behind, I’m not sure that using a mirror would decrease that chance.
I used a mirror on my handlebars when I
started cycling in 1989. One day while riding side by side in a 10 foot shoulder on a
lonely Texas highway, my mirror got caught in my riding partner’s handlebars.
Needless to say, we had our hands full for a few seconds trying to get
disconnected. I no longer use a mirror (since then and since I started to shave
my legs).
Some people wear them on their helmets or
glasses. Not a bad idea, but personally, I don't want glass around my face if I were to crash.
Many times when you crash, you land near that portion of your face...bad enough
without broken glass. You have the same problem if you wear glasses, but it’s my experience that eyeglasses and sunglasses are
usually tougher material (material that doesn't shatter upon impact) than little mirrors. Even if you have the mirror on your
handlebars you could stand a chance of being cut by broken glass in a crash.
"Yeah, but I don’t have to turn around
to look to see if something’s coming," you say. Well, this is true. But
if you think about it, it’s important to turn around to see the traffic. This
is a skill called scanning. We practice this drill as a basic skill in the
effective cycling course. Being able to turn around and look behind alerts the
motorist that you may be about to do something like merge into the lane, make a
left turn, or swerve to avoid a hazard. Either way, turning your head and making
eye contact will "signal" a motorist to be more cautious while
passing. Simply looking in a mirror gives no such signal to the motorist when
you plan to change your position in the traffic lane. In addition, being able to
do this without swerving the bike is also important to prevent inadvertently
swerving into overtaking traffic or running off the road. It takes a little
practice, but it’s easy to learn. Simply go to an empty parking lot with lines
that you can ride along while turning to look over your shoulder (practice both
directions). You can check your progress when you turn back forward by where you
are in relation to the line. I don’t have room to discuss the finer points of
this technique here. Just relax your upper body as you turn around and you will
feel what you need to do to maintain a straight path. The bottom line is even if
you have a mirror use the scanning procedure to alert overtaking motorists.
With all that said, do mirrors provide any
other benefit? Well, I
guess if you need to get something out of your eye, or you need to touch up your
make-up before going into a convenient store they might come in handy. Maybe you
need to start a signal fire when you are broken down. Come to think of it, while
you are scanning you could use it to see where your bike is going. Only joking…
The purpose of this article was not to convince you to use a mirror or vice-versa. If you need one to feel comfortable while riding or because you have a stiff upper body then by all means, use one. Just don’t use a mirror at the expense of sound riding techniques. Learn to scan and signal properly to alert motorists of your intentions. With a little practice, you’ll ride more confidently and you’ll be practicing skills that will serve you well as you venture on our highways. Just carry safety matches to start that signal fire. Until next time…cycle safely.
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