"Phil W Lee" phil(at)lee-family(dot)me(dot)uk wrote in message
...
"Roger Zoul" considered Mon, 2 Feb 2009
11:40:53 -0500 the perfect time to write:


"Tom Keats" wrote in message
...

Any other sage advice for a mirror neophyte?

Learn to not use one before you do. And never
trust a mirror to give you the full picture.

If by that you mean to always turn our head to check before making a lane
change, then I agree. However, a mirror can give you a much better state
of
situational awareness if properly used. However, where humans are
concerned
there is always the chance for error.

When I was training novice motorcyclists we used to remove their
mirrors until they'd learned to look over their shoulders
appropriately and safely.
Some people just WON'T learn as long as the mirror is there.

With people you always have to assume that they will never act exactly the
right way all the time. We are not robots. That's why I try to do a quick
glance to my side right before shifting positions even though I almost
always know what the situation is...because I check my rear frequently using
the mirror. This, for me, is just being extra cautious because I like riding
and living and not being hurt and the cost to be extra careful is basically
zero. I mean, what else am I doing that I can't bother to glance to my
side?