Anne, that's a great question. I'm a newbie, too, so I've wondered. One person swore I had to get one right away (he uses the helmet kind) but I have this fear that if I crash, I'm gonna wind up with that rod in my eye!. Gruesome, I know. But so far, I feel that if I'm keeping my back and neck really limber, I can do a quick check behind me without much effort. But I don't know if that works at higher speeds than mine.