Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
382. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department accepts that the Road Safety Authority data supplied in reply to Question No. 242 of 2026 shows an increase in serious injuries involving scrambler bikes on public roads between 2022 and 2025; whether his Department has conducted any trend analysis of this data; and if he will publish any such analysis. [12117/26]
View answer383. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department or the Road Safety Authority holds or has access to data on serious injuries and fatalities involving scrambler bikes and off-road vehicles in public places other than public roads, including parks, housing estates and green spaces; if not, whether he will direct that such data be collated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12118/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 382 and 383 together.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has a statutory remit to report on fatal, serious and minor injury collisions on public roads only. The RSA receives collision data from An Garda Síochána for this purpose and produces official statistics to help develop evidence-based road safety interventions.
I am aware of the analysis carried out by the RSA of scramblers involved in fatal and serious injury collisions on public roads over the last five years, which shows an increase in road users seriously injured in a collision where a scrambler was involved. As the Deputy is aware, I intend to introduce regulations as a matter of urgency to further prohibit the use of scramblers in any public place and strengthen the existing enforcement powers that An Garda Síochána has in relation to the dangerous use of scramblers and powers of seizure.
These regulations will help bring additional legal clarity to the existing position that scramblers are banned for use on the road in almost all cases. It is my intention that the regulations will close any cases where scrambler use may previously have been legal outside of appropriate off-road settings by implementing a total ban on all scrambler use in any public place and will:
• Explicitly prohibit the use of vehicles such as scramblers in any place where their use is non-appropriate and the public might be present.
• Make the mere use of a vehicle such as a scrambler in these locations an offence, building on the current position where a member of An Garda Síochána has to form a reasonable belief about dangerous use before it can be seized.
My Department is working with the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel with a view to making these regulations within a matter of weeks. I also propose to impose greater financial penalties on seized vehicles to reduce the number that re-enter circulation.
