Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 October 2024
65. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Transport the recourse available to those injured by an e-bike, where the individual causing the injuries does not have the means for compensation or is unidentifiable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39491/24]
View answer66. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Transport for those injured by an e-bike, where the individual causing the injuries is without the means or unidentifiable, if the injured party can engage with PIAB or the MIBI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39492/24]
View answer67. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Transport if he will investigate an incident (details supplied) where an individual was injured by an e-bike; the role of the newly implemented Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 for injured parties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39493/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 65 to 67, inclusive, together.
The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot comment on specific incidents, cases being investigated by An Garda Síochána or individual insurance or compensation claims.
The Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 makes a clear regulatory distinction between low-powered, pedal-assisted electric bikes, which are treated in the same way as pedal cycles, and more powerful, throttle-assisted bikes, many of which (with the exception of the lighter L1e-A category) are now classed as e-mopeds (L1e-B) and therefore are mechanically-propelled vehicles (MPVs). A detailed category-by-category description of the distinction between e-bikes and e-mopeds is available at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/3be70-find-your-category/
Only L1e-B e-mopeds, and not low-powered electric bikes, are required to be insured under the Road Traffic Acts and only this category falls under the remit of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI), which compensates victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles.
An individual who has been injured in a collision with a low-powered e-bike or a pedal cycle has the option of making a claim to the Personal Injuries Resolution Board (formerly the Personal Injuries Assessment Board), which is the independent State body responsible for resolving personal injury claims.
