Should use of e-scooters be banned altogether?
By Nathan Keane
E-scooters are a form of transport that has been steadily on the rise in recent years.
They are relatively inexpensive, lightweight, quick, and easy to use. They are particularly prevalent in urban areas, and among the younger population.
Despite their surge in popularity, they have come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, for a number of reasons.
So much so that new regulations on e-scooters have been brought into the Cabinet. The measures, which were signed off on last Wednesday, include an outright ban on under eighteens using e-scooters, helmets and hi-vis clothing becoming mandatory, and an increase in fines for rule breaches.
This government action has further heightened the debate on the issue of e-scooters. There are a number of questions around this issue: Should they be banned for under eighteens, should they have been banned outright, or should there be no ban at all? What is so dangerous about e-scooters in the first place? It is certainly a controversial issue, with every side having its own perspective.
Despite the push to ban e-scooters, there is a large cohort of their users who will be against such a measure. They will have a number of complaints regarding a ban.
Firstly, e-scooters are the main mode of transport for many people. A study from the RSA found that 5% of adults use e-scooters, and 65% of those people are living in Dublin.
They are an especially common mode of transport in congested urban areas - as people use them to get to shops, schools, workplaces and so on. The proposed ban will mainly affect the big towns across the country, where they are regularly used by regional commuters.
E-scooters have also gained popularity thanks to their cheap and efficient nature. You can buy one for around €300, a relatively small price to pay for a motorised vehicle. Another benefit of using one is how nimble they are, meaning you can travel on narrow routes, turn with agility, and park easily. These factors make e-scooters more enticing than cars for many people living in towns.
To top it all off, they are better for the environment than most other forms of transport. They don’t emit carbon dioxide, or contribute to air pollution. They run on rechargeable batteries, which, as well as being better for the environment than petrol or diesel, are also much cheaper.
These are some of the main advantages of e-scooters - which prompt their advocates to see them as a useful, efficient, cheap, agile, easy to use form of transport for those in urban areas.
Even when taking all of these benefits into consideration, I, alongside many others, feel a ban (in this case for under eighteens) is the right decision.
The most salient reason to ban e-scooters is the safety risks that arise when using them. This is the most severe issue associated with e-scooters, and one that has been brought to the forefront of national news in recent weeks, with the vehicles being in the public eye for all the wrong reasons. In the early hours of last Sunday morning, a person driving an e-scooter died, after a collision with a car in Navan, County Meath. This is just one example of an e-scooter accident proving to be fatal.
Road traffic accidents involving e-scooters are extremely common, with 24% of e-scooter users having reported being involved in a collision at one point or another.
As well as being dangerous to the driver, they can also seriously harm pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, especially when being driven on footpaths. Between June 2024 and May 2025, 12 children were admitted to Temple Street Hospital with traumatic brain injuries following e-scooter crashes - a damning statistic. The lithium-ion batteries in the scooters can be a fire hazard if they overheat, putting the driver, as well as all those in close proximity, at risk. E-scooters are a danger to their user, other road users, and pedestrians and cyclists.
A second key problem with e-scooters is the current lack of regulations. Thankfully this is now being changed with the proposed legislation. E-scooters will now have a speed limit of 20km/h, putting tighter restrictions on speeding.
This is something that is absolutely necessary - from my own experience, there are a few times in recent memory when e-scooters flew past my shoulder, with not much space between them and myself. This, alongside the move to make them available to only those older than eighteen, should help increase responsible and safe driving. Helmet and hi-vis requirements will also help protect the rider and those around them.
Another regulation that is likely to be brought in is in regards to licensing. Previously, riders did not have to hold a licence to be able to drive an e-scooter. This is set to change, alongside requirements for privately owned e-scooters to be registered nationally. Following on from this, gardaí would be able to clamp down on unregistered and unlicensed drivers.
E-scooters are also a valuable tool for criminals, in particular those involved in activities such as street level drug dealing and money laundering.
When engaging in such criminal activities, e-scooters provide a speedy getaway vehicle, being able to fly by on footpaths, alleyways and tight corners - too quick for police to follow on foot, and they can go where police cars can’t.
They also don’t have registration plates, making them much harder to track. This means that CCTV footage is much less useful to police officers, than if it was a car that was on the run. This level of protection and anonymity massively benefits criminals using e-scooters.
Recently, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said the e-scooters are “without a doubt” being used for drug dealing in the country’s urban centres. Kelly, for one, also said he is “absolutely” in favour of an outright ban on e-scooters.
I find myself taking up a similar stance. However, I think we should wait and see how the new legislation does before implementing a blanket ban, although I can see its appeal. A lot of the problems with e-scooters listed above apply to all age ranges, and could warrant a complete ban.
One thing is for certain - something had to change. Whether the proposed legislation will be enough - we will just have to wait and see.