A horn ain’t noise pollution
02 Jun 2016
Old cases often refer to drivers or riders ‘sounding their horn,’ but the use of the horn has come to be seen as more of a rebuke than a warning and sometimes as an excuse for road rage.
Don’t let the Red Mist get you
12 May 2016
One of the fairly common accident scenarios I get is when riders overtake drivers who do something peculiar when the rider is alongside.
Dark visors and legal grey areas
31 Mar 2016
Shoei and Bell,among other visor and helmet manufacturers have brought out ‘photochromatic’ or ‘reactolite’ visors, which darken in direct sunlight. I think this is a brilliant idea but, like conventional dark visors, is illegal if the visor tints to any appreciable degree in the sun.
Slippery when wet… with diesel
10 Mar 2016
Spilt diesel is less of a problem for motorcyclists than it once was but the folklore of slippery roads still holds true.
The camera never lies
11 Feb 2016
Like a lot of riders I have a bike-mounted camera, but can these cameras bite your backside if things go wrong?
They look, but they do not see
12 Nov 2015
Doing my job gives me an unusual perspective on how motorcycle accidents happen and if there is a common thread, it is car drivers failing to perceive motorcyclists.
Summer kit: the legal ins and outs
27 Aug 2015
In our north Atlantic climate we are not often bothered by temperatures which make regular riding gear too hot to wear. But on those rare scorching days when your bike kit boils you and you have a real risk of heat stroke, what does the law say about minimum protection levels?
Beware the lure of insurance add-ons
16 Jul 2015
Most insurers have to compete hard on the headline premium, but the general rule is you get what you pay for.
Right, I want my money back
26 Feb 2015
You march, jaw set and determined, into your local dealers. With a gimlet stare you demand your money back. You are then told to sod off. There are more urban myths and false expectations about what your consumer rights are than in just about any other field of law.
Icy roads and the law
12 Feb 2015
Following a landmark House of Lords decision (Goodes v East Sussex [2000] for law geeks) Parliament amended the Highways Act to place a duty upon Councils to control and manage ice and snow on the roads.
Fully comp ain’t what it appears
15 Jan 2015
As bike insurers constantly look to compete on price certain practices are coming through which the savvy Bike reader ought to know about.
Keep calm and carry on
20 Nov 2014
I would hope that the discerning readers of this column would not be prone to provocation on the roads, but with alarming frequency we get calls from clients who have responded emotionally to a dangerous situation and got themselves into some ugly fixes.
Pros and cons of speed awareness
16 Oct 2014
Speeding, and being caught, are a constant problem. But what to actually do if you get the demand for driver’s details through the door?
Behaviour when pulled (Part 2)
14 Aug 2014
Do not fall for the oldest tricks in the book which are favoured questions, ‘Why do you think I stopped you?’ and ‘How fast were you going’. Or the other great favourite, ‘Can you tell me what the speed limit is that you were riding through?’
Behaviour when pulled
17 Jul 2014
How you act when stopped by the police can sometimes determine the outcome. But not always. And avoiding a stop in the first place is always a good starting point.
Old school policing and the attitude test
17 Jun 2014
Attitude when dealing with any reasonably serious traffic offence is paramount. And a reasonable approach is equally important from both parties when the law comes into contact with the individual. Some time ago a police officer who was chasing me on an R100RT was livid at my riding. I hadn’t even registered him.
Paperwork pays off in France…
10 Jun 2014
You may well be part of the exodus of British motorcyclists who go to France to enjoy open roads, the food and the better weather. Enjoy it, but be aware of certain problems involved and how to avoid them…
Mud on the road
22 May 2014
Mud represents a perennial hazard for motorcyclists but it is particularly bad during the sowing season on agricultural roads, and less so during the harvest season.
