PHP-Snippet in README.txt can break the template (WSOD)

Hello,
with disabling the user_badges.module the template can break (WSOD - white screen of death) by only using the php-snippet of the README.txt:
print user_badges_for_uid($uid);
(To repair you can modify the table "variable" of the database to switch the template.)

This snippet will avoid the problem:

if (module_exists('user_badges')) {
  print user_badges_for_uid($uid); 
}

http://api.drupal.org/api/function/module_exists/6

kind regards
Carsten