questions relating to motorcycles

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Son lends motorbike to friend who crashes it into a car. Friend is uninsured: who pays? — by Conrad Murray — last modified 2007-03-23 10:01

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?

Uninsured motorcyclist on provisional licence: does this mean liability is automatically awarded against him in event of accident claim — by Murdo Maguire — last modified 2007-02-05 01:52

My stupid son bought a motorcycle and was driving it without insurance and with only a provisional licence. A lorry turned into him whilst he was driving to work. This caused him very serious injuries which he nearly died from. My question is, if a claim for damages is made against my son will he be held responsible for the collision due to him not having a valid licence or insurance? Even though the accident was clearly the fault of the lorry driver?

Motorcycle accident injury follows skid on oil next to garage blackspot. How can I claim compensation? — by Murdo Maguire — last modified 2007-01-31 06:43

My son is a motorcyclist and travels into Taunton on his bike every morning passing a large yard where a number of haulage companies are based. There is also a filling station on site. After the garage the road goes into a gentle slope and slow bend. Yesterday my son was travelling along the road which was damp, but free of snow and ice when suddenly the bike zig-zagged and slipped from under him. He skidded down the road on his leathers but unfortunately crashed into a metal fence. He has a broken arm, leg and ribs plus whiplash and one of the fence poles pierced his upper thigh. His bike and leathers are wrecked. The police of course attended and concluded from the skid marks he had not been speeding. There was a considerable amount of diesel on the road and the officer told me that the accident probably resulted from a lorry from the depot overcharging its tanks. There have apparently been three similar accidents there in 2006. Obviously we would like to make a claim but we cannot identify the individual lorry driver responsible, nor even the particular haulage company concerned. With no defendant how can he recover his losses on the damage to the vehicle and claim compensation for his injuries resulting from the accident?

Passenger opens door which is struck by a motorcycle passing on inside in a one-way-street — by Murdo Maguire — last modified 2007-01-13 11:09

I was the driver in a car which was stationary in congested traffic in a one way street. My passenger decided to leave the car and walk. As he opened the door he failed to notice a motorcycle approaching on the inside. The motorcycle struck the door and the rider fell off. The biker is now claiming against me for damage to his bike and a personal injury. A witness at the scene said he was speeding and the police who attended said he had bald tyres. Is it illegal for him to pass on the inside and will he have a claim against me?

Driving in a coned off area — by Murdo Maguire — last modified 2007-01-03 16:26

My seventeen year old son was stopped by the police for entering a coned off area on his motorbike. No people were working in the area at the time. He was given a warning but cannot remember exactly what the offence was. He has only held a full licence for a short time and admits to the offence which took place in queuing traffic. He did not sign anything and was given any paperwork. How long does he have to wait before he hears anything and does he need to get legal advice in order to try and keep his licence?

Enforcement of bus lane times — by Conrad Murray — last modified 2006-12-20 15:21

Having been a motorcyclist and car driver for almost 40 years, I recently bought a new Highway Code booklet as I wanted to update my road-use knowledge. I believe that during certain periods, ordinary motorists are allowed to use "Bus Lanes". Is this correct? If so, when is this allowed, or do times vary from area to area?