Ireland enacted a new e-scooter rule barring anyone under 18 from riding after Children's Health Ireland reported a rise in traumatic brain injuries linked to e-scooter crashes.
Here's what to know
Ireland's minimum age for e-scooter riders is now 18, up from 16. Retrieving a seized scooter starts at 80 euros ($89.52), and each additional day of storage adds another 30 euros ($33.57), The Irish Times reported.
The rules brought in by Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien and junior minister for road safety Seán Canney took effect Friday, and people who break them can be fined 100 euros ($111.91). Under the rules, an e-scooter is an electrically powered vehicle with a small standing platform, no seat, and two or more wheels.
These changes follow separate requirements that took effect Sept. 4 and require e-scooter users to wear helmets and high-visibility clothing.
More background
Data from Children's Health Ireland showed a 50% year-over-year increase in admissions of children and young people with traumatic brain injuries after e-scooter crashes, according to the Times.
Between January 2021 and August 2025, CHI logged 1,130 emergency department visits related to e-scooter injuries. At CHI at Temple Street, 12 children were admitted under the neurosurgery team with traumatic brain injuries caused by e-scooter crashes between June 2024 and May 2025.
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Over a two-week period in July, six children at CHI at Temple Street were placed on life support after e-scooter injuries, per the Times.
The Garda Representative Association has warned that enforcing the restrictions will be difficult.
What's being done?
Calling the higher age limit a response to those injuries, O'Brien said: "Increasing the minimum age for e-scooter use to 18 is a necessary and proportionate road safety measure. We have seen a concerning number of serious injuries and fatalities involving young e-scooter users, and our regulations need to address this."
Doctors had supported an e-scooter ban because so many children were arriving with critical injuries, but Ireland instead moved to limit youth access while keeping adult use legal under tighter safety requirements.
"Together with the recent introduction of mandatory helmets and high-visibility clothing, these changes send a clear message that e-scooters must be used responsibly and safely," O'Brien added, according to the Times.
Where can I learn more?
Elsewhere, lawmakers and companies are making their own moves on electric scooters and bikes.
• In Massachusetts, lawmakers advanced a bill targeting fast e-bikes and mopeds.
• In Florida, legislators proposed fines for dangerous e-bike modifications and stricter safety rules.
• Fiido introduced an e-bike for kids with parental controls.
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