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.
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.
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.
An icy sheet causes an accident
05 Feb 2015
I took my bike out on a dry and really cold day to blast out some Christmas cobwebs. On my journey home, my bike shot out from underneath me without warning.
Scared Solicitors
29 Jan 2015
I was involved in a pretty straight forward accident. The other driver’s insurers admitted liability very quickly, and I went with the solicitors my insurers advised. I wish I had not.
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.
Do I cancel my policy?
08 Jan 2015
I sold my bike to a mate who happens to be old bill. He told me if I don’t tell my insurer I have sold the bike it’s fraud. I don’t really want to tell them as there will be a cancellation fee of £30, and the policy only runs for another two months.
Speeding with a foreign licence
01 Jan 2015
I live and work in England but have a French motorcycle licence. I was caught speeding to work on my MT-09 the other morning; as it was early and no one was around, I was caning it and got clocked doing 98mph in a 30mph zone.
Don’t Leave Yourself Liable…
25 Dec 2014
When you sell a bike on make sure you cancel your insurance, otherwise nasty things can happen…
Clause for concern
18 Dec 2014
I got bashed off by an ambulance. Ironic as I’m a policeman. The ambulance service admitted liability and I have just been offered £100,000 to settle my claim.
Reasonable Hire Bike
11 Dec 2014
I was bimbling to work last week on my battered old scooter worth about £300 (I save the Harley for the weekends and the car when it’s raining!) when some silly old sod pulled out and knocked me off. No real harm done, and I didn’t get hurt thankfully.
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.
Taken to the Cleaners?
27 Nov 2014
A cheap wash could turn out to be a very expensive one if it all goes wrong…
AJP240 Prize Draw Number w/c 21 November 2014
21 Nov 2014
The winning number is displayed on our website from 5pm every Friday and changes each week. The number(s) for the week commencing 21 November 2014
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.
Up the creek without a paddle?
13 Nov 2014
I bought a second-hand sportbike off a mate for some summer fun. It was mint. The dealer round the corner serviced it and told me the manufacturer had put out a recall for the front brake. I gave them the go-ahead and they changed the master cylinder on the handlebars.
Failing to fess up
06 Nov 2014
I’d been out ragging around the Lake District with some mates – we had been flying if I’m honest as it was pretty quiet. A week later the dreaded Notice of Intended Prosecution landed on my doorstep. 85mph in a 60mph limit.
