More than two-thirds of traffic accidents involving e-scooters have been recorded in Dublin, according to new figures released this week.
New figures highlight the number of incidents which have occurred over the last two years, with at east 1,373 incidents involving e-scooters have been recorded in the last 2 and a half years, according to new figures reported in the Irish Times.
It is understood that the figures include 440 collisions, while Gardai have seized 269 e-scooters in the same period. In 2022, there have been 453 incidents involving e-scooters, compared to 640 in 2021 and 280 in 2020.
Read more: Gardai trying to track down owner of plush car left mangled on Dublin street
According to the latest figures, 67% of e-scooter related incidents were recorded in Dublin, with Limerick accounting for 5 percent while 4 percent occurred in Cork. The figures come as the government continues work on legislation to regulate the use of e-scooters, although legislation is not expected to be passed until 2023.
It comes as leading Mater Hospital Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Frank Lyons said that the number of injuries caused by e-scooters are steadily on the rise. He recently told Newstalk: "There are a few things we have observed with the patients we’ve seen coming in. The first is that the accidents that happen, there’s definitely a trend where people seem to be injured in the early stages or on their initial journeys using the scooters.
“So, there is definitely a familiarity curve and perhaps people don’t appreciate for example the power of the scooters." Dr Lyons also pointed out that e-scooters are considerably different to a bike and other two-wheeled vehicles in how they take off quickly and have a different brake.
He said: “It brakes differently, it handles defects in the road surface differently and it turns differently – the wheels are much smaller and the braking mechanism is different.” Dr Lyons said the Mater Hospital now carries out three to four surgeries related to e-scooters every month.
Meanwhile, Dr Lyons said that people being intoxicated while using scooters is also an issue. He said: "There is a wide age range as well, so there are young people and also some older people using them - perhaps thinking they might be a mobility assistance type of device - but again, the acceleration seems to be very, very quick and people in their initial few uses of the scooters do seem to be a bit caught out by the power in which they can accelerate.
“That’s definitely having a bearing on the accidents.” Dr Lyons said also called for lights, helmets, and basic training to be made mandatory for all scooter users.
Meanwhile, the Government is also currentlly liasing with insurance companies on motor insurance cover that will be required for electric bikes and e-scooters that exceed a speed of 25km/h. The Government’s Road Traffic and Roads Bill, which will regulate the use of e-scooters and e-bikes, is currently before the Oireachtas.
Junior Minister for Transport Hildegarde Naughten said in a recent parliamentary question to Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy that higher-powered e-bikes will be required to be registered, taxed and insured. She said: "Users will require a driver’s licence and the relevant rules of the road for mopeds and motorbikes will apply.
“This change will ensure that e-cyclists who do not wish to be capped at 25 km/h and prefer to opt for a more powerful model will have the necessary legal structures in place to do so, and that risks to vulnerable road users such as pedestrians are managed by removing these faster vehicles from pedestrianised zones and cycle lanes. My officials are currently engaging with insurance industry representatives in relation to high-powered e-bikes,” she added.
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