E-Scooters & E-Bikes – the Law

E-Scooters & E-Bikes - the Law
There has been a significant increase in the use of E-Scooters and E-Bikes in the country in recent years. These can however, pose increased risks to pedestrians and other road users. 

The Government has proposed new legislation under the Irish Government’s Road Traffic and Roads Bill pursuant to which there will be a classification of “Powered Personal Transporters” that travel under 25km/h which shall be exempt from tax, insurance, registration and licence requirements. However, it is envisaged that more powerful E-Scooters and E-Bikes will fall under the same category as mopeds and motorbikes and so will require insurance, registration and licensing. 

It should be noted that the Road Safety Authority has called for a 20 km/h factory set speed limit for E-Scooters and larger wheels as part of range of common technical standards to be applied to such vehicles across Europe noting Gardai recorded a total of 746 traffic incidents involving E-Scooters last year, including 554 collisions, while 305 of the vehicles have been seized since 2020. 

A report by the ETSC in conjunction with UK Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety on safer technical standards for E-Scooters has called for standardisation of rules across Europe with their report showing that both a rider and pedestrian were likely to suffer severe injuries in a collision with an E-Scooter travelling at 20km/h, with the pedestrian more likely to suffer fatal injuries. Studies estimated that collisions resulting in injuries are up to 10 times higher for E-Scooter riders than cyclists. If you have been involved in an accident as a rider of an E-Scooter or an accident caused by an E-Scooter rider and you wish to discuss your legal options, please feel free to contact our Personal Injury Litigation Team.