Christmas warning over e-scooter gifts with new laws to ban children from using them

Irish parents are being warned of new laws that will ban children from using e-scooters in the New Year. 

The warning comes at Christmas with e-scooters landing in households all over the country for big and small kids alike.

However, the Road Safety Authority is warning parents that just days after Christmas, new laws will prevent kids under 16 from using e-scooters.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) first issued an appeal to adults not to buy kids e-scooters for Christmas on the night of the Late Late Toy Show and has been reiterating that appeal in recent weeks.

Following the passing of legislation earlier this year permitting their use, people will be allowed to drive e-scooters on Irish roads next year. However, under the regulations, children will not be allowed to use them, the Road Safety Authority explained.

Under the legislation, which will come into force in 2024, you must be 16 years or older to use an e-scooter in Ireland.

The RSA is also reminding parents that quad bikes and scramblers pose a safety risk to children and are urging them not to gift them this Christmas.

"Three e-scooter riders were killed and 48 seriously injured on Irish roads between January 1 2022 and September 24 2023. During the same period, one other road user was killed and 11 more seriously injured in collisions involving e-scooters," an RSA statement read.

"Casualty figures show that between 2017 and 2021, 88 people were injured in collisions involving a quadbike or scrambler on a public road. In the same period, there were four fatalities involving quad bikes or scramblers on public roads."

Sam Waide, Chief Executive of the RSA, explained: “Parents should not consider purchasing an e-scooter for any child this Christmas. It is important that parents and members of the public are also aware of the risks associated with quadbikes and scramblers. They are intended to be driven by people in a supervised and controlled environment who understand the threat when driven on uneven ground.”

What do the new laws say?

The regulations coming into force in 2024 will see e-scooters banned from footpaths and speed limited to 20km/h.

Under the regulations, the same rules of the road that apply to cyclists apply to e-scooter users but there are specific rules for the electric vehicle. 

An e-scooter rider must use a cycle lane, must stay under 20km/h, cannot be used to carry goods or passengers, and cannot be operated by anyone under the age of 16.

Earlier this year, Minister of State in the Department of Transports, Jack Chambers, welcomed the enactment of the legislation to bring these regulations to fruition.

“I am very pleased that this substantial Act has been enacted into law. It will make our roads safer for all road users and give legal certainty to those who are choosing to get around on new forms of mobility,” he said.

“Importantly, these provisions will help encourage more people to choose new convenient ways to travel that help them avoid time-wasting congestion and gridlock.

“In doing so, they will contribute to freeing up road space, which in turn means that we can allocate more space to provide improved, faster and more frequent public transport and walking and cycling infrastructure,” he added.