Hi all,
I see the new E scooter laws are to come into force soon:
the question I have is we (Santa) were going to get our two kids (8 and 11) some child E scooters something like this:
for the kids to scoot from our house to their friends within the estate, also in the park and also to the local shop about 5 mins down the road.
Is this now a non runner under the new laws as anyone using a scooter has to be 16+?
As a pedestrian, the only time I am annoyed by e-scooters is when they use the pedestrian footpath. When they use the cycle lane (which may simply be a line painted on the former footpath), I'm not bothered.
I think one of the problems is that the government ignored the new technology of e-scooters (and their benefits) for so long that there's now a population of riders who have got used to riding on the footpath and will take time to migrate. Cars will also need to get used to them on the road.
Public information campaigns need to be created informing e-scooter and bike riders how to correctly use the roads and cycle/e-scooter lanes. Car drivers also need to be educated on looking out for e-scooters and bicycles and giving them space on the road.
But for me, far better to have people cycling and using e-scooters than holding everyone up by driving cars.
Agree wholeheartedly.
OP, it's a bad idea to get an e-scooter for such young children. 25kph is plenty to cause serious injury or death to a kid. You won't keep them limited to 10kph and probably won't restrict the speed at all....nobody ever does. The difference between the electric ride on cars and e-scooters, is that one is limited to 10kph by default and is safer due to ride position (sitting down) but the other will reach dangerous speeds and be unstable on tiny wheels.
I got an e-scooter when they first started hitting our streets 5 years ago. I used it for short commutes, or popping to the shops. It was good fun, convenient and a real time saver, but it was not safe for kids. 25kph was the top speed and if I were to fall off on the concrete, I would have likely got injured moderately to severely. I allowed my 8 and 12 year old at the time to ride the scooter on grass, in the park while in eco mode (15kph) and wouldn't allow them to go on the path, or on the higher setting, because I know the potential danger.
They only been shared where space or paths are limited.
Yeah thanks for your input ghost I know what you mean, the pressure will always be there from the child to be allowed go 25KPH.
There are some e scooters that will only go 10KPH but I reckon the kids will lose interest in them fairly quick.
It’s a bit of a mess now as I know their friends have e scooters that their parents have limited to 10-15 KPH but now when these laws come in they’ll be illegal so potentially could be taken off them even if they are just on the estate roads or the track around the field close to me which seems a bit harsh.
If it was a kids e-bike instead of a kids escooter they’d be grand though?
What's a kids eBike?
Many kids will cycle quite fast on a regular bike.
eScooters are currently illegal. So they won't become illegal. They become legal. So the kids have not been legal on them except on private property.
is that from the article? anything i've seen about the irish law states 25km/h max but the article states 20. it may well be (shock horror) that the journalist got it wrong.
The children are too young for an e-scooter and I have never seen an e-bike for that age group
What is wrong with buying them a bike and letting them cycle?
Or just a push scooter, kids need exercise
If you bothered to read the thread you would know the answer to this.
Just FYI you claim that an 8 and an 11 year old are too young for an escooter yet there are plenty of shops Irish and otherwise that sell escooters specifically for kids:
the above is recommended for kids over 8.
If you read the thread I’ve linked to another one recommended for 8years and up, there are many more examples I’ll let you find yourself.
10 to 15 km/hr might not sound like much, but it’s plenty when you are face planting into the ground , car , corner of a wall or whatever else you decide to drive into.
comparing it to a ride on kids car is no comparison, if it a kids car loses control more than likely the kids will still be sitting in the car after.
But wouldn't the fact that Santa brought it down the chimney render any court prosecution invalid?
They don't however sell them for use on the public roads, because it's illegal, and will continue to be illegal, which is what you want them for.
I did not know kids scooters were a thing
No faster than a regular bicycle.
You can trip while walking and do yourself serious injury. Where do you draw the line?
Well exactly.
I mean an 8 year old can go faster than 10-15KPH on a bike so should that not be allowed either?
I don’t disagree that a bike might be the same, my post was in reference to comparing it to a ride on kids car, there is no comparison.
and bike would be safer than a scooter I’d say, but both wouldn’t be comparable to a kids ride on car.
standing up on a scooter compared to sitting on a bike:
a scooter can sustain that speed .
a bike is easier to control and would stop better.
drive into a curb on a bike or a scooter and see which one get over it.
Ok so a non powered scooter going down a hill compared to a kids E scooter limited by the parent to 10-15KPH (depending on model) with appropriately sized disc brakes.
Which ones safer?
I think when you are taking a ride on kids car it's basically a toy. As such it "probably" will be designed for certain ages.
If you are buying electronics good which may not be to EU standard, or EU laws, then its irreverent what the law is. That comes down to parenting. Like those mini moto motorbikes.
If you are doing it in a private field under supervision, perhaps for sports, thats one thing. Doing on a public path or park or road is entirely another. Then Darwin law applies.
You compared a scooter to a kids ride on car. There is no comparison.
and you are asking an obvious question there. The important part there is going down a hill. :-D
Shops also sell scrambler bikes to kids for Christmas
From the link you provided
Electric scooter designed for users over age 8 ONLY on private roads.
According to French traffic regulations, this product is equipped for driving on certain public roads, for users age 12 and up.
Doesn't sound like a resounding advertisement to give to a child.
Define "ride on"
Here are some further statistics and facts from Newsweek, Children’s Safety & Injury Prevention, and the National Journal:
Riding toys are responsible for the majority of toy injuries among children ages 14 and under.
The largest share of toy-related injuries, 46 percent, came as a result of serious falls, while 22 percent of injuries were from collisions.
Scooter riding, without the right safety precautions, can result in a number of serious injuries, such as broken bones, cuts requiring stitches, or even concussions.
Ride-on toys are three times more likely than any other toys to be responsible for broken bones or dislocations.
Some people can be dangerous with spoon.
Ok, look if you read the thread, you will see the ride on that it was being compared to.
anyway my point was, that the ride on that an e-scooter was being compared to , there is no comparison.
You're making a general point. That ride on isn't legal anyway. Except in some ones own garden. (Private land).
Not entirely sure why you comparing something designed for aged 3 and up. To something aimed at older kids and a lot faster. But your really comparing two wheels to four. In which case you can find faster 4 wheeled ride one's that can definitely get you into trouble.
Yes but compare the kids escooter going down a hill with a regular kids escooter going down a hill which ones safer?
They are both the same.
If you meant a regular (non powered) scooter. The scooter has a speed limit. At which point its gravity, and both scooter will be the same at that point.
Same with eBikes for Adults. You can cycle on normal bike faster than a legal eBike.
What are you on about? The OP compared the escooter to some kids ride on, i was saying they are not comparable.
I've skimmed(so open to correction) the amendment to the Road Traffic Act and I see nothing that would suggest this to be the case. For the most part the amendments have just included "powered personal transporters" to areas of the law that already applied to pedal cycles.
The kids e scooter’s speed is limited by the parents and has handlebar disc brakes as opposed to a foot brake and no speed limit on the regular kids scooter.
I get what he said was nonsense.
Your comment reads like you are comparing the safety between 2 wheels and 4. Maybe that's not that you intended.
Its likely that limits only when the motor cuts out. Not limit the speed when freewheeling. Could be either though.
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