Should You Be Using Bicycle Mirrors?

No matter where you do it, bicycling allows for a lot of freedoms. You can modify your bike and any accessories to make it uniquely yours. However, one of the lesser used bicycle accessories is bike mirrors. These can be attached to your handlebars or poking out from your helmet.

Ideally, these mirrors allow you to see behind you in your blind spots so that you don’t need to shoulder check yourself all the time. After all, cars have mirrors for just that purpose, why shouldn’t bikes? Unfortunately, bikes and cars are two different vehicles. In a car, no one can see you checking your shoulder so you use mirrors and signals to do it. On a bike, you have your proper hand signals, but the act of looking over your shoulder is a good indicator that you might need to scoot over a bit to avoid a parked car. Mirrors take away the need for that.

However, bike mirrors are not without their benefits. Particularly during night-time driving, the reflective nature of the mirrors make it easier for cars to spot you.

But do you need bicycle mirrors as an accessory? Probably not. They have their uses, but more often than not, they make us forget the crucial shoulder check, and that can be dangerous. This lack of bicycling habits that have been formed for safety can cause terrible accidents. If you have been the victim of a bicycle-related accident on the part of another vehicle, you may have some legal action available to you. Contact us today to find out what options you have.