Have you followed people on the road that never ever look back? I do all the time, it is worrying when they just stick an arm out and without checking behind swerve across lanes of traffic to make a turn (assuming they even bother to signal).
When learning to drive my instructor suggested that in normal traffic a mirror check every 10 seconds was a good rule of thumb, that's on top of the ones you'd make before a manoeuvre, approaching lights, spotting a potential hazard, etc. Do you advise something similar to your trainees? General observation and awareness of what is around them is woeful amongst cyclists.
When learning to drive my instructor suggested that in normal traffic a mirror check every 10 seconds was a good rule of thumb, that's on top of the ones you'd make before a manoeuvre, approaching lights, spotting a potential hazard, etc. Do you advise something similar to your trainees? General observation and awareness of what is around them is woeful amongst cyclists.