This is going to seem harsh... but I wouldn't let her ride without the proper riding gear. Man, I won't let myself ride without the proper gear. <g>
You can tear up fingers, bash knees, get a concussion (or worse), or lose an eye at 2 mph in the parking lot if you do it right.... er... just wrong.
I had a fellow Triathlete buddy who was riding his time trial bicycle, without his helmet, in front of his house, doing about 4 mph. He had just mounted some new brakes and was just diddling around trying the right angle for the levers.
Oops. The bolt fell out of one of 'em. Oops. The lever fell off of the handlebar (hey,no biggie, right....?), swung down on it's cable and right into the front wheel.
Instant jam. Locks the front wheel (at a whole 4 mph... remember?...) and does an instant endo. He goes over and hits the asphalt with his head. (Man, it's making me hurt just to type this again.)
Knocked out cold, had to be 911'd to the hospital, kept under 24 hours observation for possible brain swelling. He ended up with a severe concussion, stitches, and he lost a "day and a half" of memories.
That's right, he couldn't remember *anything* from almost two days before his "4 mph" boo-boo... till almost a day afterward.
Remember, it's not always the velocity, the height of the jump, etc.. Oft times, it's just the sharp object, the hard surface, the sudden stop.
Which is why we ALWAYS ride with all our safety gear.
Remember, it only takes a moment for a lifetime of regret.
Actually, the first time you have a medium-big crash... and you're able to get up and jsut brush yourself off.... and that is *all* that happens.... that's when you will suddenly have religion about safety gear. It's jsut hard to get the novices and the tough guys to that! <grin>
Be diplomatic... but find a way! Cheers! - E-Ticket