Do you check your mirrors in a cage?

[Z (fka Sweet Tooth)]

I utilise everything, mirrors, shoulder checks, even headlight patterns on the road after dark.

Guess I'm just paranoid about knowing who's sneaking around me in the car

I'm the same, I use the mirrors and double check by turning my head.

[camthepyro]

I do mostly subconciously while I'm driving, and if I change lanes I take a quick look in the side mirror, then do a headcheck, then change lanes while glancing back in forth from the side to ahead of me.

[Loonette]

Do you actually use the mirrors in your cage? I sure don't.

If I want to do a lane change I do a head check and use my side mirrors only to double check myself.

So do you, or don't you?

I actually do the opposite of what you've said. I glance the side mirrors first (before a lane change) in case there is anything obvious going on - if so, I don't have to even bother doing anything right away. But if things appear clear in the side mirrors, I still do a full shoulder check before even putting on my blinker. And I do find them useful for scanning what's behind along with the center mirror.

Cheers,
Loonette

[Shiv]

Well I do, but very rarely. I'm not actively scanning them is what I meant.

My sister is glued to her mirrors, she's always looking at them. My parents are the same way. One of my friends doesn't even use his mirrors, they're pointed the wrong way to be used, just his rear one is aligned correctly.

I glance at mine onlywhen changing lanes, that's it. I'm much more interested in what's ahead of me.

[liablemtl]

I am constantly scanning my mirrors both on my bike and in my cage. I want to have plenty of warning if approached by an emergency vehicle running code from behind... especially after having done many code runs and found people not paying attention to their mirrors.

I also want to know if there is some fast moving a$$bandit who needs to get to point B faster than I do. Then I can get out of his way before he decides to sit on my bumper at freeway speeds. I also scan because I've been hit from behind... call me paranoid, but I don't want to get hit again.

[storysunfolding]

For me I didn't realize the importance of my side mirrors until I started driving other types of vehicles: motorcycles, ambulances, fire trucks, and busses. Granted all those vehicles don't have a rear view mirror (in most cases) so I had to learn to use my side mirror. However, there are alot of uses to a side mirror

1.) Seeing if the side of your car is going to clear the car behind you when backing up
2.)Seeing how much space you have on either side of you
3.) making sure you are in the center of your lane
4.) seeing your back tire to make sure you are lining up correctly on that boulder you are driving over.... jealous you don't have a jeep?
5.) greater reduces your blind spot for better situational awareness.
6.) seeing where traffic is when there is no merge lane without having to crank your head around 120 degrees.

Sure you are seeing where and when people leave your rear view, but did you notice someone coming off a side street? Maybe you lost track of the guy next to you in stop and go traffic, maybe there's a motorcyclist without loud pipes that you missed earlier b/c he was blocked by another car.

The mirrors aren't required by law for willy nilly (I think just the left is required in VA though)