Do tougher e-scooter laws work? What the evidence says

Ireland is on the verge of enacting sweeping new regulations for e-scooters, aiming to curb a growing number of serious injuries and improve enforcement. The proposed laws mandate the use of helmets, require registration and licensing, and plan to raise the minimum age for riders from 16 to 18, establishing the highest national age limit for e-scooter use in Europe.

These measures come in response to mounting concerns over severe injuries linked to e-scooters, particularly among children. Data from Temple Street Hospital reveals a significant increase in traumatic brain injuries among children following e-scooter crashes. Between June 2024 and May 2025, 12 children were admitted with such injuries, followed by a 50% rise in admissions in the subsequent year. Notably, nearly all of these injured children were not wearing helmets.

Across Europe, the issue is widespread. In 2022, 119 people were killed and nearly 6,000 seriously injured in reported e-scooter collisions. This alarming data puts pressure on governments to act, yet the specific effectiveness of various regulatory measures remains a subject of ongoing research. Ireland's proposed package, which could see compulsory helmets and a ban on under-18s take effect as early as August, also considers requiring registration and licensing for privately owned e-scooters from September.

Further considerations include granting greater legal protections to law enforcement officers pursuing e-scooter and e-bike riders, similar to protections afforded to police officers in the UK. The Road Safety Authority has also recorded fatalities involving e-scooters, with eight riders killed on Irish roads between 2023 and 2025. Despite the surge in e-scooter use, the evidence base for which regulations are most effective at mitigating harm is still developing.