Gardaí must have increased powers to seize e-scooters – Neville

Urgent action must be taken to address the use of scramblers and e-scooters by under 16s, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Deputy Joe Neville has warned that parents must stop purchasing e-scooters for their children, and greater powers must be given to the Gardaí to seize e-scooters from children.

“We are sleepwalking to further injuries and deaths unless action is taken for better enforcement, stronger legislation, and harsher penalties for those misusing e-scooters,” Deputy Neville said.

“The powers of the Gardaí must be extended to seize e-scooters if there is a reasonable belief that an E-Scooter is being to harass, intimidated or cause significant nuisance to other road users or persons in a public place.

“E-scooters can be a practical and environmentally friendly way for people to get to work or move around our towns, especially when there’s severe traffic congestion, but we also must face the reality that our roads and footpaths have become increasingly dangerous.

“The RSA has said that nearly one in four regular E-scooter riders (24%), say they have already been involved in a collision, while one in three (32%), report a near miss. Those figures alone should be ringing alarm bells across the country.

“Parents need to stop purchasing these for minors, and we need to look at how greater restrictions could be put on the purchasing of these e-scooters. We need to examine how a registration system would work so parents can’t avoid the rules.

“E-scooter-related brain injuries now account for over 25% of paediatric neurosurgical admissions at CHI Temple Street in the past year. That is an extraordinary and deeply worrying number. These are not minor injuries but can have devastating impacts long-term.”

“The impact on children and young people is alarming, but there are also serious risks for all pedestrians, especially the elderly pedestrians that there is a real risk. The Government must make helmet wearing mandatory for escooters.

“Urgent steps need to be taken before more lives are destroyed and families are torn apart. The data is there, and we all see the dangers on our streets. We must act now and increase powers to the Gardaí in this area” Deputy Neville concluded.

Video of Deputy Neville: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUK9FjGDnWB/?l=1