Son lends motorbike to friend who crashes it into a car. Friend is uninsured: who pays?

My stepson gave permission for his friend to ride his motorcycle. His friend hit a car and it turns out that both him and his friend will not be covered by insurance as their policies only cover themselves to ride their own bike. Can you tell me who is liable for the damage to his bike, and to the damage to the car?

In law the friend is responsible for damage to both, but if he is under 18 then the responsibility passes to his parents (although this might be a difficult case to bring). As the bike is uninsured then the damage to the car might be recoverable by the driver from the Motor Insurers' Bureau who may seek to recover it from the responsible person. The damage to the bike would not be recoverable in the same way because your stepson gave him permission to ride it and should have known his friend was not insured.

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