Road Traffic Offences

Thursday, 26 June 2025

Questions (205)

Robert O'Donoghue

Question:

205. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Transport if he will urgently address the growing public safety concerns surrounding the widespread and largely unregulated use of electric scooters; if he is aware of the increasing number of serious accidents, including a recent hit and run incident involving an elderly woman in Dublin, and many similar cases across the country, resulting in serious injuries and, in some cases, fatalities; the regulations currently in place or planned to ensure the safe operation of these vehicles; if measures such as mandatory insurance, age limits, safety training or restricted zones will be introduced; if he accepts that, rather than providing benefit, the current unregulated use of e scooters has caused significant harm and distress to individuals and communities and that urgent action is required to restore safety on roads and footpaths; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35067/25]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Transport

As Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, I am all too aware of recent fatal collisions on Irish roads involving e-scooters.

I am happy to clarify that an extensive suite of regulations governing the legal use of e-scooters on public roads was introduced by my Department in May 2024. These regulations include provisions for a minimum age limit of 16, prohibition from use on footpaths and pedestrian areas, and strict statutory limits on the power, weight and speed of an e-scooter.

Enforcement of the regulations is the responsibility of An Garda Síochána, and a non-compliant e-scooter user risks incurring a Fixed Charge Notice (FCN) to the value of €50. The Deputy may also be aware of recent media reports regarding the roll-out by An Garda Síochána of dynameters. These devices allow An Garda Síochána to check the technical specifications of e-scooters and to confiscate e-scooters that do not conform to these specifications. E-scooters may also be confiscated where the user does not conform to usage standards for public roads.

I further note the Deputy's proposal regarding the mandatory insuring of e-scooters. As e-scooters are defined in law as powered personal transporters (PPTs), they belong to a category of vehicle that is beneath the exemption threshold in the Motor Insurance Directive (Directive 2021/2118) and they do not require insurance. My Department has no plans to introduce mandatory insurance for PPTs at this time.

The Deputy may wish to refer to further information the extensive information available on current e-scooter regulations, both technical and usage, which can be found on the gov.ie website, linked here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-transport/publications/e-scooters/.