ELECTRIC SCOOTERS LOOK set to be one of the more popular Christmas gifts of the year. 

The popularity of the vehicles has grown across the world over the last 18 months. 

But the laws around their use in Ireland are sketchy, to say the least. 

Legislation is currently going through the Oireachtas to regulate them. But right now, on Christmas Day, they’re not technically legal to ride on public highways. 

Under the current laws, e-scooters are considered mechanically propelled vehicles and their use is therefore subject to the user having a license to use them. 

For some time now, the government has been planning on regulating their use. The Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2021 is currently before the Dáil. It has passed two stages of scrutiny so far with no major speed bumps.

The general principles of the new legislation have been agreed by Government and have also been backed by opposition parties, meaning its passage through both houses of the Oireachtas should move smoothly and swiftly. 

This law will give certainty around what’s allowed and what’s not going to be allowed once it’s signed into law by the President next year.  One of the better known brands of e-scooter rental company, Lime, has already earmarked a €10 million investment in Ireland after the draft legislation got the green light in the Dáil earlier this year. 

What do the safety experts say?

The Road Safety Authority has issued a number of reminders to people who receive an e-scooter this Christmas.

E-scooters are technically mechanically propelled vehicles (MPVs). It is illegal for persons under the age of 16 to ride an MPV in a public place.

The RSA has previously said that riding these vehicles on public footpaths should be considered illegal. The RSA had called on these scooters to be used in cycle lanes, where appropriate. 

While we are still in a legal limbo regarding the use of the scooters, gardaí have been seen to be cutting down on the flagrant misuse of the vehicles. 

For example, a scooter rider had his vehicle confiscated in Kilkenny earlier this year for breaking the rules of the road. 

Gardaí were quick to remind people that although there may be question marks around the use of the e-scooters, the rules of the road apply to all users, irrespective of what you use to get around. 

A Garda spokesman said: “The rider exited without yielding to traffic before refusing to stop when directed by a Garda member. The scooter was then seized.” 

The suggested rules around e-scooters

It looks as if there will be a limit to how fast they can go – right now that stands around 25km/h. 

It will be an offence for anyone on an e-scooter to “hold on to any other vehicle which is in motion or hold on to any person or thing on, in, or attached to, any such vehicle.”

They must be “designed and constructed for the carriage of a single person, but not designed or constructed for a person with restricted mobility or for the carriage of goods”.

The proposed law also means that under 16s will not be allowed to use them. 

“A person shall not supply a powered personal transporter to a person who is under the age of 16 years. A person who contravenes subsection commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a class A fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or both,” the draft Bill reads. 

You can read the whole draft law here (skip to section 12 for the relevant parts about scooters).