The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is advising adults not to buy e-scooters, scramblers or quad bikes for kids this Christmas.
Despite the passing of legislation earlier this year permitting the use of e-scooters on roads, the RSA are highlighting the fact that this does not include children.
Under the regulations, children will not be allowed to use them and you must be 16 or older to use an e-scooter in Ireland.
The RSA is also reminding parents that quad bikes and scramblers pose a significant safety risk to children and are therefore asking them not to purchase them as gifts this Christmas.
Along with their warning were some alarming statistics which show that three e-scooter riders were killed and 48 seriously injured on Irish roads between January 1 2022 and September 24 2023.
During the same period, one other road user was killed and 11 more seriously injured in collisions involving e-scooters.
Casualty figures show that between 2017 and 2021, 88 people were injured in collisions involving a quadbike or scrambler on a public road. In the same period, there were four fatalities involving quad bikes or scramblers on public roads.
Speaking about the dangers, Sam Waide, Chief Executive of the RSA, explained: “Parents should not consider purchasing an e-scooter for any child this Christmas.
“It is important that parents and members of the public are also aware of the risks associated with quadbikes and scramblers.
“They are intended to be driven by people in a supervised and controlled environment who understand the threat when driven on uneven ground.”
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