The number of collisions involving electric scooters has soared in recent months.
That is according to new Garda figures provided by the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee where the number of collisions involving e-scooters totals 25 from July 15th to the present.
The figures provided by Minister McEntee in a written Dáil response to Meath East deputy, Darren O’Rourke show that the 25 collisions is double the 12 total for the first six months of this year.
The 25 collisions over the three month period is also more than the 22 collisions for the 12 months for 2019.
The figures provide by Minister McEntee also show that there has been a sharp rise in traffic offences concerning e-scooters in recent months.
The figures show that there have been 21 e-scooter traffic offences for the period from July 15th to the present and this compares to 25 for the first six months this year and 48 for 2019.
The first case of an e-scooter driver facing a charge of driving with no insurance was brought before a district court in Dublin last year.
Garda enforcement against e-scooters has also been stepped up with the Minister confirming that 54 e-scooters have been detained or seized since July 15th.
This compares to 37 for the first six months of this year and 56 for last year.
“toys should should not be allowed out on the road”
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Director of Consumer Affairs with AA Roadwatch Ireland, Conor Faughnan stated today that an e-scooter “is a very exciting technology for commuters. They are fantastic machines”.
However, Mr Faughnan stated that there are a couple of fundamental problems with e-scooters “and the Government is in theory working on them”.
He stated: “We need to properly regulate e-scooters as they are not correctly defined. They exist in a sort of grey area here at the moment. Some have such power that they deserve to be called a motorbike - not a scooter and at the other end of the scale, you have toys with tiny wheels on them.
Mr Faughnan stated that the “toys should should not be allowed out on the road”.
Mr Faughnan stated that when the national road safety plan comes up for review next year, a major priority must be around the safety of e-scooters.
Mr Faughnan - who has been cycling to work for the past 15 years - stated that the increase in collisions is “a concern”, but “this early data is a shape of things to come”.
He stated: “If we have loads of people using e-scooters, we will have people falling off them.”
