What are these fines for?
Specifically, under the new legislation, which comes into force on 18 November, the fines are for not wearing a protective helmet and not wearing high-visibility clothing.
Why are the new fines being brought in?
Essentially, for safety reasons. Hospitals up and down the country have been reporting increased numbers of minor and serious head injuries, especially among younger people, since e-scooter use became more common. Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said: “The use of e-scooters must go hand in hand with responsibility. These regulations, alongside the others we have recently introduced, are designed to encourage safer use of e-scooters and help reduce the risk of serious injuries, particularly head injuries, among users.”
Will the new legislation change things?
Probably not, largely because such legislation has to be enforced by the Gardaí, and they’re already stretched as it is. As ever, legislation without enforcement is pretty empty stuff. The Department of Transport says: “A number of other measures in relation to e-scooter use remain under consideration and recommendations will be made on these in due course.”
Are e-scooters inherently dangerous?
It depends on who you talk to. Certainly, medical professionals aren’t keen on them, thanks to the kinds of injuries they see in hospitals. Several police forces in England have cracked down heavily on e-scooter use, not merely because of unsafe use, but because e-scooters are also being used in criminal activity. Meanwhile, Mikael Ljung Aust, Volvo’s senior technical safety leader, recently told CompleteCar that people using e-scooters: “Are lovely, wonderful people. And they have no idea what they’re doing.”
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