An “aggressive” drive to tighten e-scooter laws will soon begin in light of the growing number of serious injuries being reported, including three fatalities last year.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister of State for Road Safety Seán Canney have said they are determined to strengthen regulations and to improve enforcement of the rules around speed and underage use of e-scooters.
They and Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien are due to meet early in 2026 to discuss ways of strengthening the regulations, with a focus on compulsory use of helmets and high-visibility jackets.
However, it is understood that the Government will stop short of requiring e-scooters to be registered or for users to be licensed. One backbench Government TD has called for registration, but Mr Canney has said safety can be improved without having to go through a lengthy process of drafting legislation.
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“I will be examining every way we can bring in regulations to actually stem the dangers of e-scooters on our roads,” said Mr Canney, adding that enforcement is also key.
E-scooters are classified under 2023 legislation as a new category of vehicle, Powered Vehicle Transporters. There is no requirement for users to have a licence, or be registered, or pay tax and insurance. Nor does the law specify that helmets or high-visibility jackets must be used.
The regulations prohibit children under 16 from using them. The maximum legal speed for e-scooters is 20km/h, and their use on footpaths is prohibited. E-scooters cannot carry more than one passenger at a time under the law. Those rules are regularly flouted by some users, and there is evidence of widespread use of e-scooters by children under 16.
In a position paper published in December 2025, the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland reported that e-scooter incidents are now the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in children admitted to the State’s paediatric neurosurgical centre at Temple Street. It reported that since May 2024, 25 children had been admitted after an e-scooter crash.
The college urged the Government to take immediate action to address the sharp increase in serious injuries among children
Speaking at an Oireachtas transport committee in December, Mr Martin committed to doing more to prevent serious injuries from e-scooter falls.
“I believe we need to aggressively go at the road safety issue again,” he said. He said the report on paediatric brain trauma was “very worrying in terms of e-scooters ... The level of injuries among children and young people is shocking. We need to re-evaluate this. These are life-limiting injuries.”
In response to a query from The Irish Times, the Taoiseach said there would be an evaluation of the public health aspect of the rules.
“There are rules in place already and they must be adhered to. I also believe people should strongly consider wearing helmets when riding an e-scooter,” he said.
Mr Canney told The Irish Times the current regulations would be reviewed in January with a view to making helmets and high-visibility clothing mandatory.
He referred to there being an issue enforcing the current rules.
Some of the more powerful e-scooters on sale in shops and online in the Republic are advertised as having top speeds of 60km/h or more.
“Selling a machine that can go at a speed in excess of what is allowable is a huge anomaly,” said Mr Canney. “If the scooter can go up to 40km/h even though the regulation says 20km/h, people will go at 35km/h or even 40km/h,” he said.
Shane Moynihan, a Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Midwest, has raised the issue of e-scooters in the Dáil on numerous occasions. Accepting that they are a green-friendly mode of transport, Mr Moynihan said that needs to be balanced with the common good.
Mr Moynihan believes e-scooters should be registered. “It attaches that vehicle to an owner, and if the e-scooter is involved in an issue causing risk to safety, it is easier for the gardaí to deal with.”
Such an approach, he said, would “heighten awareness around the need to be accountable for your behaviour when you’re using a vehicle like this”.
