Chief supt cautions against e-scooters for Christmas

A senior garda has warned parents against buying e-scooters as Christmas presents for their children.

Chief superintendent for Cavan and Monaghan, Alan McGovern, made the plea at last week’s meeting of the Joint Policing Committee, after some committee members queried the legality of such vehicles.

It was also revealed by Ciara Brady of the Road Safety Authority that one road fatality in the Republic had involved an e-scooter this year.

Cllr Peter McVitty told Friday’s meeting he had seen two accidents involving e-scooters, one of them “serious”.

“They go around with no lights, no headgear, no high viz. I’ve witnessed them go around picking children up at school, put the child standing on the scooter. I was just wondering, is there anything can be done at the present time to deal with that issue? Because it’s an accident waiting to happen.”

He also claimed to have seen e-scooters being used on footpaths.

Cllr Brendan Fay echoed those sentiments and informed the chamber of a woman leaving his pub in Belturbet was “absolutely nailed” by a young person on an electric scooter.

Noting the use of some on footpaths, he asserted “they think they are a law onto themselves”.

Chief Supt McGovern explained to the chamber that, while there is no specific legislation currently in place, they could use endangerment laws.

“We would like to appeal to parents, in particular during this Christmas period, who are minded to buy e-scooters to reconsider. There is a risk involved with any piece of equipment like that,” he said emphasising for parents “to be cognisant of the dangers”.

Senator Diarmuid Wilson explained that the legislation had been published, “but it will be well into next year unfortunately before it becomes law”. While he said he noticed an increase in the use of e-scooters, he finds electric bikes a cause for concern also.

“Some of them are as heavy as a motorbike,” he said noting they could “do serious damage, if not kill a person”.

“They are even more dangerous in my opinion,” said the Fianna Fáil senator. Senator Wilson added that you couldn’t blame the people driving them, noting how economical they were, but said the legislation needed to be speeded up.