Gardaí seize e-scooters from children in Killea as warning issued

Gardaí have seized two e-scooters from children in Killea over the weekend and are urging parents not to allow youngsters under the age of 16 to use the increasingly popular vehicles.

The two e-scooters were seized on Sunday, August 2, from two children who were under the legal age to use them.

Gardaí have stressed that e-scooters are not toys and that young people can be placed at serious risk of injury if they are allowed to use them.

The seizures have also prompted a reminder about the current rules governing e-scooters, particularly as their use on footpaths has become increasingly common.

Under current legislation, e-scooter users must be aged 16 or over and are subject to a maximum speed limit of 20kph. They must drive on the left and can use cycle or bus lanes as well as local, regional and national roads.

E-scooters must be fitted with lights, a bell or other audible warning device, reflectors and brakes, and must be maintained in a roadworthy condition.

Users must also obey Garda and school warden signals and follow the same rules of the road as cyclists, including complying with traffic lights, road signs and pedestrian crossings.

However, Gardaí have emphasised that e-scooters cannot legally be used on footpaths, in pedestrianised areas or on motorways.

Users are also prohibited from holding or using a mobile phone while riding, having a seat fitted to the scooter, carrying passengers or transporting goods.

Gardaí are particularly appealing to parents to think carefully before purchasing an e-scooter for a child under 16.

They have urged parents not to buy e-scooters for their children and not to allow them to use them, stressing that the vehicles “are not toys” and that children are at high risk of being injured, or worse, if permitted to ride them.

Gardaí have also pointed out that new and much stricter legislation concerning e-scooters is currently in the pipeline.