Government agree to ban e-scooters for under-18s

Government officials have agreed to ban e-scooters for under-18s from next month, after whispers of an outright ban circulated last week.

The decision was made following a meeting on the issue on July 20, which took place between the Garda Commissioner and senior government leaders, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

The Taoiseach spoke to the media last week about the issue and suggested he would be open to an outright ban on the use of e-scooters following a number of accidents, with some fatal.

A range of measures were agreed between officials in an effort to improve overall road safety, including plans for helmets and high-vis vests to be made mandatory from next month.

Legislation will be introduced later this year to treat e-scooters like all other mechanically propelled vehicles, and licensing and registration will be introduced.

Speaking after the meeting, the Taoiseach said higher penalties will also be introduced for those who wish to get a seized e-scooter back.

“What’s also increasingly clear from the Garda Commissioner is that e-scooters are being used significantly in drug dealing, money laundering, and for criminal enterprises.

‘So we want to make it very clear that if an e-scooter is seized, that the penalties will be much higher to get that e-scooter back, and so there’ll be a range of measures on that front as well,” he said.

Members of An Garda Síochána will also be given further protections to mirror the system adopted by UK police forces, which will grant greater legal protections to gardaí when pursuing e-scooters and e-bikes.

Currently, the use of e-scooters is banned for anyone under the age of 16.

‘The proposal to raise the ban to include all those under the age of 18 will be brought to Government next week by the Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien.

It was reported earlier this month that over one third of all paediatric traumatic brain injury admissions to CHI at Temple Street in 2026 were related to e-scooters.

There was also an increase of 50 per cent in admissions for  traumatic brain injuries from e-scooter accidents in the last 12 months.