News & Info

With e-scooters now a familiar presence on roads throughout the country, this new legislation finally makes e-scooters legal on our roads. Prior to the legislation being introduced, there was uncertainty around the use of e-scooters and it was technically illegal to use them in public places in Ireland.

E-scooters are now legal for those over 16 as long as the e-scooter complies with certain specifications

Unfortunately, the increase in the number of e-scooters on our roads over the past 5 years has led to a steady increase in the number of accidents and injuries experienced by e-scooter riders.

There were 222 accidents on e-scooters recorded in 2023, with 54 of these accidents resulting in serious or fatal injuries.

Paul Tracey, Managing Partner at Tracey Solicitors LLP, says he hopes the new legislation will help to reverse this trend.

“The new regulations now make it illegal for those under 16 to use e-scooters; there’s now a requirement for lights on the e-scooter, for users to obey the same rules of the road that apply to cyclists, and a speed limit of 20km/h in force. These are all small steps but they may have an impact on the number of serious injuries and fatalities that we’ve been seeing over the past few years,” said Paul.

While the legislation provides guidance for use of e-scooters in public places, there has been no change in how personal injury claims are handled for those involved in e-scooter accidents.

In cases where another party has been responsible for the accident and resulting injuries, it is possible to make an e-scooter personal injury claim. Compensation may be awarded for pain, inconvenience suffered, as well as the cost of medical fees, travel and any loss of earnings from time spent out of work on medical grounds as a result of injuries sustained in such an accident.

If you have been involved in an accident involving an e-scooter, get in touch and tell us about your case.