Mayo councillor fears e-scooters will cause serious accident
Castlebar councillor Harry Barrett called for a campaign to highlight safe use of e-scooters
A MAYO councillor has predicted that a serious accident will occur in Castlebar involving e-scooters if rules and regulations are not complied with.
Independent councillor Harry Barrett raised the matter of e-scooters and the dangers associated with them at the monthly meeting of the Castlebar Municipal District.
The national school teacher said he is not against the use of e-scooters but felt that people using them are not aware of the dangers facing them and other road users.
“Whether we like it or not we have young girls and boys using these e-scooters and Lime bikes on the streets of Castlebar. I am not against them but we are going to have to ask An Garda Siochána to police this and visit local schools and mount an information campaign to remind people of their obligations.
“We will have a serious accident very soon unless we raise awareness of this issue and ask people to be careful and stick within the regulations,” he said.
New laws will be introduced in 2024 to make e-scooters legal in Ireland and users must be 16 years or older and obey a speed limit of 20km per hour. E-scooters are also banned from footpaths and must follow the same rules of the road that apply to cyclists, including traffic lights, road signs, and all types of pedestrian crossings.
The Children's Hospital of Ireland (CHI) recently ran a campaign highlighting the dangers associated with e-scooters especially for children. They claimed that e-scooters are currently the leading cause of traumatic brain injury in children admitted to CHI hospitals, and that many of these injuries have been life changing for children.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) have also strongly advised parents not to buy e-scooters for children under 16 and all users should wear helmets and appropriate clothing.