Ask the lawyer
Gavin Grewal, used to volunteer his time as a special constable which gave him a good insight into how evidence is gathered from accident scenes. Gavin is partner at specialist motorcycle solicitors White Dalton.
Will Brexit affect bikers?
26 May 2016
What happens to bikers if we leave the European Union? Over the years, the EU has been involved with – or blamed for – legislation connected to everything from border controls and import duties to the riding test and horsepower limits. What will happen if we vote to say in or stay out?
An ordeal over a wheel
19 May 2016
I was hit from behind with quite a clunk, which tipped me off my Triumph Tiger 800. Luckily I received only bumps and bruises, but because I hit my head on the kerb I want to claim for my helmet as well as the damage to my bike.
Right turn, wrong turn
05 May 2016
I was waiting to turn right into a pub car park with my wife as a pillion when a rider came flying down the outside of the traffic, heading straight towards me.
Be clear and honest with insurers
29 Oct 2015
Why does the company that provides my motorcycle insurance ask me if I carry a pillion, but my car insurer never asks me if I carry a passenger?
How will my European claim end?
08 Oct 2015
I was knocked off my motorcycle in Austria last summer by a young man who immediately admitted fault to the police, paid his fine and sent me a note of apology written in perfect English.
Staying on the safe side of the law
24 Sep 2015
My 16-year-old daughter is about to start riding a motorcycle. We’re all too well aware of the sometimes horrible aftermath of motorcycle collisions, and I now have to think about what my daughter needs to protect herself.
Too much hi-vis isn’t a bright idea
23 Jul 2015
I have an acquaintance who rides an ex-police bike. He has reflective patches on his bike, blue and green, in squares, and he wears a plain white helmet and a full-on Dayglo jacket complete with epaulettes and black shoulder slides. He is now going to buy a “Polite” reflective sticker in blue for his back […]
Sold a bike? Cancel the insurance, or face a massive risk
14 May 2015
I’ve sold my bike privately, but am hanging on to my insurance for a few weeks as it’ll gain me another year’s no-claims bonus. A mate says he’s read a story that suggests I could still be liable if new owner has a crash. This can’t be right, can it?
A bald tyre doesn’t make it all your fault
19 Feb 2015
I was involved in a very nasty crash. It might well stop me tram working or walking normally ever again. A car driver turned right across me on a cold misty morning. She’s taken a driver Improvement course. However, the police found my rear tyre was bald – not terribly, but still Illegal.
Can a loophole get me off the hook?
04 Dec 2014
I received a letter from Thames Valley Police asking me to name the rider of my motorcycle at the time of an offence. It was me. The speed was detected as 67mph in a 60 and I have been offered a speed awareness course.
My lid came off in a crash — do I settle?
30 Oct 2014
I was involved in a fairly nasty crash. I have no memory of it but my helmet came off. I had some spectacular looking cuts and bruises to my face but, other than that, the helmet coming off has not had any long-term Impact.
Should my foreign claim take so long?
18 Sep 2014
I was involved in a fairly serious accident in Germany. A driver crossed into my path during an over-ambitious overtake on his part, and I suffered severe pelvic injuries when we hit head on. I was treated in a German hospital but my European health card wasn’t in date and I had no travel insurance. […]
Rides to remember
28 Aug 2014
With 2014 marking 100 years since the commencement of the Great War, I thought it was about time I went to some of the battlefields I’ve so often bypassed while riding to the south of France.
Motorcycling in Morocco
21 Aug 2014
Andrew Dalton looks at things you need to be mindful of when riding in Morocco. Morocco is not part of the European Union, so if you have a serious prang in Morocco then you are in a legal system based on post Independence French law with a distinctly north African flavour.
When is fully comp not fully comp?
07 Aug 2014
My bike crashed and sustained a lot of mechanical and some cosmetic damage when the gearbox locked up as I was decelerating onto the tollbooths of the Severn Crossing. It was at low speed, and I got away with bumps and bruises.
Basic guide to suing the Council for dangerous roads
17 Jul 2014
Take a look at the photo, and any biker will instantly see that it’s a dangerous road surface. There’s a sunken trench right on the riding line. Chris Hall was riding his Aprilia Caponord along that road, the A5120 in Bedfordshire, in April 2014. Sure enough, the worst possible thing happened: Chris’s wheels went into […]
Sharp bends don’t have to be signed
01 May 2014
I am a pretty experienced motorcyclist. I was riding along rural roads in an area which I do not know particularly well. I started braking for a corner and as I got round the corner it became clear to me that the corner was much, much tighter than I was expecting. Panicking, I decided to […]
I sold my bike but didn’t cancel my insurance
16 Oct 2013
I sold my bike through a classified ad. The guy bought it, didn’t test ride it and took it away in a van. I sent off the log book and didn’t think any more about it. I have now heard from my insurers. I had not informed them I had sold the bike and had […]
