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+1 for helmet mirrors!
2 years ago
Thanks. I've spent a lot of time on the road and, in the US, I think using a helmet mounted mirror has probably saved my life many times. I consider my mirror to be more important for my safety than my helmet.
2 years agoThe first time I thought about it those terms was on my first cross US tour in 1996. I was on a long straight highway near Sparta,WI. Here is my description of what happened.
"On the shoulderless section a fairly large truck (i.e. too large for both of us to fit in the lane) came up behind me as a car approached from the other direction. I though he was going to slow down, but he didn't and once again I had to veer off the road onto sand and gravel at 15 mph. It was exciting. I was glad that I have lots of experience riding two wheeled vehicles in loose material since loaded bikes do not handle well under those conditions. I didn't crash and I did manage to get back on the road without stopping. I suspect that he had just been driving too long since he didn't blow his horn or give any sign that he saw me. I have to assume that if I had not been alert and watching my rear view mirrors, he would have hit me. Note that I was wearing a bright orange jersey and visibility was excellent."
http://www.cs.unca.edu/~boyd/touring/tour96/day33.html