A 25-YEAR-old woman died when her motorcycle strayed into the opposite carriageway during a training course, an inquest heard.

Katie Yasmin Smith of Court Fold, Old Radnor, Presteigne had travelled to Hereford last May 23 to take part in motorcycle compulsory basic training with James Robinson Motorcycle Training.

The inquest at Herefordshire Coroner's Court heard Miss Smith was riding a Honda 125cc motorcycle on the B4224 through Hampton Bishop towards Mordiford at around 4.30pm when she went into the opposite carriageway and hit a Honda CR-V.

Miss Smith, who had two children with her partner Bruce Childs, was pronounced dead at the scene.

James Robinson, from the training company, told the inquest the day started with training in the yard at the centre, before progressing to the Rotherwas industrial estate and then onto busier Hereford roads.

Mr Robinson went out with Miss Smith and Justin Gallimore, all on separate motorcycles, and he spoke to them through a one-way radio system.

At the time of the accident they were carrying out a loop of country roads, with Miss Smith riding at the front, Mr Gallimore in the middle and Mr Robinson at the back.

They were on the B4224 road from Hereford to Fownhope and were travelling away from Hereford and had just driven past the Bunch of Carrots in Hampton Bishop and past Whitehall Road on their left.

Mr Robinson said he could see Miss Smith move towards the centre line and he told the inquest that he said into the radio: 'Lean left. Lean left.' But she went over the line into the opposite carriageway.

Mr Gallimore said in his statement he could not remember what Mr Robinson said through the headset prior to the crash but thinks he said, 'Oh no' and thought it sounded as if he was panicking. 

Mr Robinson told the inquest: "It is possible she had target fixation - this could mean that when she saw the car she would look at the car and head straight towards the target."

Amanda Naylor was driving the Honda CR-V in the opposite direction. She said she saw Miss Smith on the slight right hand bend in front of her and she was just over the white central line. Ms Naylor said the motorcyclist seemed to right herself but then wobbled a bit and came straight towards her car.

The inquest heard it was a dry, sunny day with no defects in the road or with either of the vehicles. A toxicology report of Miss Smith proved negative, and both Mr Robinson and Ms Naylor tested negative with a roadside breath and drugs test.

Assistant coroner Roland Wooderson said: "Miss Smith, while taking her course, lost control of her vehicle at an inopportune moment and strayed into the opposite lane and into the path of an oncoming vehicle driven by Amanda Naylor."

She died from multiple injuries sustained in a road traffic collision.