Crash, Bang, Wallop!

Riding bikes isn’t without risk, so is it right to point blame if you cause yourself to crash?

- Andrew Dalton

Q My girlfriend decided to pass her CBT and hopefully go on to get a full licence. She went to the same rider training school that I attended. She did her machine control on a school bike, but unfortunately she got her machine control a bit wrong and, according to the CBT trainer, allegedly accelerated into a low wall of about two feet tall. She crashed off her bike and broke her wrist and collarbone. I have told her that she should bring a claim. I am trained in health and safety, and it is obvious by the accident that she was not ready to ride the bike and I think the school should have been run in an area with safe run-offs because novice motorcyclists might get into difficulty. I also think that the instructor should have had a remote engine cut-off so that if a rider was getting into difficulty, he could kill the engine. My girlfriend has told me to stop making such a fuss, it is just one of those things, and she will stick with mountain bikes, horses and sitting on the back with me, because she does not want to take her motorcycle test. Should she sue for her injuries and having her future as a motorcyclist taken away from her?