Is this really dangerous?

[Lotusmonster]

We have a small decorative mirror mounted about 4ft high on a wall at the top of some stairs. There’s a landing area of around 5ft. MIL visited and unhooked the mirror off the wall claiming she is worried that people might kind of jiggle backwards and forwards to get a better view of themselves in the mirror, overstep backwards and fall down the steep stairs. There is a 5ft landing area from wall to stairs.
We are an adult household. No visiting kids etc here. Is this bonkers?
She has always been super-risk averse. Views please! Thank you!

I grew up with a mirror on a half landing that was split by one step between the two main sections of stairs. Even I failed to throw myself off it backwards despite that being the spot where I did my hair every day.

I also spent a lot of time looking at it contemplating the alternative universe mirror image house.

MiL is batshit.

I still can't straighten my arm, I was off work for almost 4 months and even simple tasks with that arm take it out of me. I couldn't drive a manual car for about 8 years.

So I get through the day by trying not to fall down stairs and keeping my arm protected from pai . Thanks for asking.

Ps I still wake up at night, 17 years later, with flashbacks of the fall...it really is quite unnerving.

I've seen some people who've made a gallery of mirrors down their stairs - buy loads and do this before her next visit. It doesn't sound like a huge problem and very cheeky to rearrange someone else's house.

@AlisonDonut I'm sorry you had a nasty fall, and that you still suffer as a consequence, sounds horrible, but unless a mirror on the stairs played a part in your fall it really has no bearing on OP's issue of her MIL removing a mirror from her landing.

correct. It’s a face sized mirror not a full length body mirror

I think that anything at the top of the stairs where you could step backwards is dangerous to be honest. Mirror, coat rack, shelves, chest of drawers.

I’ve fallen and even been pushed down stairs more times that I can remember. Never mind sliding down them as a kid. Knocked out, broken bones, dislocations, cuts, bruises. Spent time in hospital including for surgery to repair a serious break and out on a rod.

I still have a full length mirror at the top of the stairs. And surprisingly not one injury was because of the mirror. It’s been there for 20+ years. No one has fallen down my mirrored stairs.

I feel safe on my stairs, it’s others that I fear including one of the concrete stairwells on my block.

I would do as pp suggested put more up 😂

oh I have been distracted by looking at pictures going up the wall on stairs and fell.,Yet how many think this is something that is perfectly safe?

Small mirror is here (see diagram)….mounted at 4ft high.

I've got five mirrors on my stairs, they bounce the light around and make the hallway much brighter. They're not only to reflect people!

Regardless of whether or not it's safe she was very rude to take it upon herself to move it. She could have just mentioned that she felt it was a bit dangerous but left it to you to decide whether to move it or not.

You'd have to be some sort of stupid to fall down the stairs trying to see yourself in the mirror. I think your MIL is more at risk falling over taking it down. Tell her to put it back up the cheeky sod

Even if she thinks it's dangerous, it's not her house! It's none of her bloody business where you decide to hang mirrors.

The purpose of the mirror might be to reflect light not necessarily to look in.

Surely if you wanted to look at yourself in this mirror, you would be walking towards it, not backwards towards the stairs?

Yeah, she took it down really because she was worried her reflection would make it crack and shatter, cutting your feet. The stairs were a red herring.
HTH
And great diagram, BTW, I was hoping you'd do one.

I’m really not risk averse but I wouldn’t put anything at the top of the stairs which would make someone stand with their back to the stairs. Falling backwards down stairs is very different to slipping whilst walking down them, and likely to result in a serious head injury. Watching your child fall from top to bottom because they weren’t concentrating and you were just a step too far away to catch them would probably make you think like your MIL.

I have a mirror at the top of the stairs but the landing between the 2 flights is quite big so it's fine. I think your MIL is a bit nutty to be so worried and rude to actually move it! Fair enough if her reflection made her jump if she wasn't expecting it but just because she's worried? That's odd

🤣🤣