Gardaí must have increased powers to seize e-scooters – Neville

Saturday, 31 January 2026 10:32

By Clem Ryan

Urgent action must be taken to address the use of scramblers and e-scooters by under 16s

Fine Gael TD Joe Neville has warned that parents must stop purchasing e-scooters for their children, and greater powers must be given to the Gardaí to seize e-scooters from children.

“We are sleepwalking to further injuries and deaths unless action is taken for better enforcement, stronger legislation, and harsher penalties for those misusing e-scooters,” Deputy Neville said.

“The powers of the Gardaí must be extended to seize e-scooters if there is a reasonable belief that an E-Scooter is being to harass, intimidated or cause significant nuisance to other road users or persons in a public place.

“The RSA has said that nearly one in four regular E-scooter riders (24%), say they have already been involved in a collision, while one in three (32%), report a near miss

“Parents need to stop purchasing these for minors,.......We need to examine how a registration system would work so parents can’t avoid the rules.

“E-scooter-related brain injuries now account for over 25% of paediatric neurosurgical admissions at CHI Temple Street in the past year. That is an extraordinary and deeply worrying number. These are not minor injuries but can have devastating impacts long-term.”

“Urgent steps need to be taken before more lives are destroyed and families are torn apart. The data is there, and we all see the dangers on our streets. We must act now and increase powers to the Gardaí in this area” Deputy Neville concluded.

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