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.....which of course we all do. I mean I wouldn't dream of riding without shoulder checking four times a second to be aware of when something is coming up behind me at speed and therefore likely to overtake.

Just tried turning my head 4 times in a second. Harder than it sounds.

(blithely ignoring the tongue-in-cheek context, as I'm wont to)

It's a better idea when looking behind not to make it just furtive looks, but to look behind with some concentration, turning the head and upper body properly, instead. Once is enough. This will make your face more visible to following participants in traffic*.

(*This is a translation of the German word, "Verkehrsteilnehmer", or "verkeersdeelnemers" in Dutch, which I like a lot. It doesn't quite work in English.)