‘Total ban’ on scramblers using public roads set to be introduced
A “total ban” on scramblers on public roads will be introduced in the coming weeks following the tragic death of a 16-year-old girl in Dublin in January.
The law will be named Grace’s Law for Grace Lynch, who died after she was hit by a scrambler bike in Finglas on January 25.
The driver of the scrambler, an 18-year-old man, has since appeared before the courts charged with dangerous driving causing her death.
Regulations have now been proposed by the Department of Transport to implement a total ban on scrambler use in public places, and to strengthen the existing enforcement powers of An Garda Síochána.
The intention is to close any cases where scrambler use may previously have been legal outside of appropriate off-road settings, and to enhance powers of seizure to reduce the number of seized vehicles that end up back on the roads.
Under current legislation in the Road Traffic Act 1961, “mechanically propelled vehicles” such as scramblers can only be legally driven on public roads if registered and have a registration plate.
The new legislation will ban all scramblers, registered and unregistered, from public roads and will be brought in in the coming weeks.
As an immediate measure, Transport ministers have proposed amending regulations in order to increase the fees that accrue to a seized vehicle each day.
“These new regulations will help to bring additional legal clarity to the existing position that scramblers are banned for use on the road in almost all cases,” Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien said.
“We owe it to Grace Lynch, her family and her friends to introduce regulations to further restrict the inappropriate use of scramblers in public places as a matter of urgency.”
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has said “nothing is off the table” in terms of Gardaí policing the problem of scramblers, e-bikes and motorbikes.
Speaking at the graduation of new gardaí from Templemore, Commissioner Kelly said that An Garda Síochána were “looking at everything including DNA sprays, the use of drones and enhanced garda vehicles” to enforce the issue.
He commiserated with the Lynch family, calling Grace’s death “a horrendous incident”.
Her funeral took place on Saturday, January 31, at St Oliver Plunkett’s Church in Finglas, where her schoolmates from St. Michael’s Holy Faith formed a guard of honour.
Grace’s mother, Siobhán told mourners that her daughter was loved by many and was only starting out on life, and that she would be missed forever.
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