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, is as beneficial as it would be on a car or motorbike
So long as you also look back like motorcycle riders are trained to do.
It's good to show people behind that you have seen them (and that also humanises you too I would think)
skydancer-
We are, and I had to do it (unwillingly) on my advanced test. But I'm fairly certain that the rule was brought in decades ago as a failsafe because some motorbikes have useless mirrors. A few years back they were all rubbish, except the BMW ones.
If you have a motorbike with car-quality mirrors, and you check them often, it's not possible for anything to get into your blind spot without you seeing it on its approach. Mirrors need to be used well.
I find that a bike without a mirror is as awkward as a car without a mirror. (I mean the centrally mounted mirror, paired with a clear rear window.)
Round the world cyclist Heinz Stucke, the world's most travelled man (or something) used to say that a mirror is more important than a helmet. But mirrors will never be something that the cool cyclists use. I've never seen a full size mirror on a posh racing bike. Not once. Except on my bike. They go in the same category as the reflectors and pie dish on a Halfords kids' bike.
nick_h.
Whenever I mention mirrors, people always say it's better to look over your shoulder. It's simply not true. I never see any other cyclists with mirrors. I don't think anyone else has a clue what a difference they make. A good mirror, adjusted correctly, is as beneficial as it would be on a car or motorbike.