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The Government has said that an outright ban on e-scooters is still on the table, but immediate actions agreed today include a move to increase the minimum legal age for their use from 16 to 18.
An announcement was made following a meeting between Government leaders and Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly at Government Buildings this morning, Monday.
They said that full proposals will be brought to Government by ministers Darragh O’Brien and Seán Canney next week.
An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, along with Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister Canney agreed on a series of proposals with Minister O’Callaghan and the Garda Commissioner, they said.
The Garda Commissioner advised that there has been a significant increase in Garda operations connected to e-scooters, including that 1,412 e-scooters have been seized so far this year.
There have been 793 prosecutions for possession of e-scooters this year.
The meeting also discussed the initial data from Children’s Health Ireland and the HSE indicating a concerning pattern of serious and life-changing injuries caused by e-scooters.
More than one-third of all paediatric traumatic brain injury admissions to CHI at Temple Street in 2026 were related to e-scooters. Admissions for traumatic brain injuries from e-scooter accidents increased by 50% in the last 12 months.
While CHI estimates one to two children a day are presenting across Emergency Departments s this summer with e-scooter injuries. A full report will be available at the end of July.
It was agreed that high-visibility jackets and helmets will be mandatory for all e-scooter use, and the ban will be extended to under-18s. This will take effect in August.
Later this year, legislation will be introduced to treat e-scooters as all other mechanically propelled vehicles, and there will be a requirement for licensing and registration.
This will also prohibit the sale of scooters to minors and the sale of scooters that do not meet the legal requirements for use on public roads.
An outright ban will remain on the table, the government said.
It was also agreed further protections will be provided to members of An Garda Síochána to mirror the system in the UK. This would grant greater legal protections to gardaí when pursuing e-scooters and e-bikes.
Speaking outside Government Buildings, an Taoiseach said that the proposal was “progressive, but it will make a difference”.
“We have other laws that ban stuff under 18, and it’s crazy that young children should be using these scooters,” he said.
“I think parents need to take on responsibility here as well. They shouldn’t be purchasing e-scooters for young people.”
“What’s also increasingly clear from the Garda Commissioner that e-scooters are being used significantly in drug dealing, money laundering, and for criminal enterprises. We want to make it very clear that if an e-scooter is seized, the penalties will be much higher to get that e-scooter back.”
He said that discussions would continue, and “nothing is off the table”.
Junior transport minister Sean Canney, said that “everybody has responsibility to themselves, to their children, to their family, and to other road users”.
“At the moment, the regulations that are there are very, very hard to enforce when you don’t know who bought the e-scooter, you don’t know where it was bought, and you don’t know what it’s been used for,” he said.
“So now, with the changes, that will regulate more and give gardaí a better opportunity to actually seize these machines if they’re being used illegally,” he said.
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