Ministers have insisted new proposals on scramblers in public places will remove \u201cambiguity\u201d about the legality of the vehicles.<\/p>\n
Proposals to implement a total ban on scrambler use<\/a> in public places were agreed by Cabinet on Wednesday. <\/p>\n It comes after the Government promised renewed efforts to remove them from the roads after the death of 16-year-old Grace Lynch<\/a> in Finglas, Dublin, last month. <\/p>\n Speaking at a press conference after Cabinet concluded, Minister for Transport Darragh O\u2019Brien said the additional measures, which will be brought forward in the coming weeks, \u201cremove any ambiguity\u201d about scrambler use. <\/p>\n The Government has been pressed into action after controversy over Ms Lynch\u2019s death \u2013 but the use of scramblers on public roads was already illegal in almost all circumstances. <\/p>\n Ministers argued on Wednesday that their planned move would clarify matters for the public and garda\u00ed. They rejected the suggestion not much would change under the new regulations, with Mr O\u2019Brien saying this was a \u201cmajor difference to what was there before\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cCritically, what Grace\u2019s Law does here is remove any grey area \u2013 with regard to if a scrambler is seen on a road, in a park, at a playing pitch \u2013 it\u2019s illegal. It can be seized, and we want them seized and we want them destroyed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He also said there needed to be a \u201clegal definition\u201d of a scrambler.<\/p>\n Under the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023, it is an offence to drive dangerously in any location, while garda\u00ed have the <\/p>\n Mr O\u2019Brien said, however, that a section of the Act had not been commenced which would give the Minister for Transport the power to ban a certain type of vehicle from particular locations. <\/p>\n The outright ban now being proposed goes further than that measure, he said.<\/p>\n He conceded that Government action was in response to Ms Lynch\u2019s death. Asked if the gGovernment should have had a tougher approach before this, he said it was \u201csomething that absolutely is on my mind too\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cThis element of the regulation … the regulations were between (The Department of) justice and our own Department of Transport and the Attorney General and they weren\u2019t concluded. Would that have stopped the situation, and stopped that tragic event, and saved Grace\u2019s life, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n However, he argued other powers which were brought in under the 2023 legislation had make a difference, pointing to the number of vehicles seized since then. \u201cIn the particular instance with Grace\u2019s death, they obviously didn\u2019t,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Government figures show that over 1,000 scramblers, quads and other vehicles have been seized under existing powers in place since 2023. <\/p>\n An Garda Siochana could not immediately provide statistics on how many had been released back to their owners after seizure. The Department of Justice referred queries on this matter to thegarda\u00ed. <\/p>\n Mr O\u2019Brien said enforcement was \u201ccritical\u201d and that the new regulations, when they come, would address issues such as when to seize and when not to seize a vehicle. Garda\u00ed already have powers to pursue when they see a law is being broken, and a decision to pursue was an operational matter for the force, Mr O\u2019Brien said. <\/p>\n He promised ongoing work with the Department of Justice on the area of enforcement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re dealing with this and we\u2019re going to go hard on this, unquestionably,\u201d Mr O\u2019Brien said, adding that training on drone use to track scrambler users had been given \u2013 and what vehicles might be used to pursue the vehicles was an operational matter for the garda.<\/p>\n Minister of State for Road Safety Sean Canney said Government will look at issues around licensing of scramblers for sports clubs, and the regulation of e-scooters \u2013 but that these would follow at a later date once the ban had been introduced. <\/p>\n Mr Canney also signalled he would be \u201clooking at the area of sale, licensing … because we need to tie it all down so people are responsible for their actions.\u201d<\/p>\n On his way into Cabinet on Wednesday, T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris said moves to ban scramblers in public places were needed as the vehicles are \u201cbeing used to intimidate communities\u201d and pose a significant danger in terms of road safety<\/a>. <\/p>\n He said the main cause for child brain injuries in Ireland was e-scooter use<\/a>, with Cabinet set to discuss further measures addressing underage use of these vehicles as well. <\/p>\n \u201cWe need to help the garda\u00ed<\/a> in terms of more powers, in terms of enforcements around that as well,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n He said his clear view was that scramblers seized by garda\u00ed should not be returned afterwards. <\/p>\n He said it was fair to question why the introduction of new regulations had taken so long and that he did not have a satisfactory answer. <\/p>\n Earlier today Canney acknowledged the current legislation allows owners to retrieve their vehicles after a court case.<\/p>\n Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast with Anton Savage, Canney said the legislation was lax in relation to what happened with scramblers. <\/p>\n \u201cPeople can apply to the courts to get them back after an incident and a court case is finished, they can apply and pay a fine and get them back.\u201d<\/p>\n ate the scrambler at the place where it was being stored.<\/p>\n [\u00a0Grace Lynch made people \u2018feel happy just to be around her\u2019, teenager\u2019s funeral hearsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Grace Lynch died after being hit by a scrambler motorbike as she used a pedestrian crossing on Ratoath Road, Finglas<\/a>, last month.<\/p>\n A man appeared in court last week charged in connection with the incident.<\/p>\n