Nearly a quarter of regular e-scooter users have been involved in a collision, while one in three have experienced a near miss, research published by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has found.
All reported collisions involved male riders.
The report published on Friday found that e-scooters were now perceived as the most dangerous form of transport in Ireland, surpassing motorcycles in terms of perceived risk.
Of those surveyed, 80 per cent said they believed e-scooters were “not very safe” or “not at all safe”, compared with 70 per cent of participants who thought motorcycles were unsafe.
The research also found that 5 per cent of adults (classed as those aged 16 years and older) had used an e-scooter in the past 12 months, with 4 per cent being regular users – that is, using an e-scooter at least monthly.
Most people who used e-scooters were male (76 per cent), under 35 (75 per cent) and living in Dublin (65 per cent) or urban areas (97 per cent).
Dr John Cronin, emergency medicine consultant at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, and an RSA board member, said e-scooters “offer real mobility benefits”, but also “bring a high risk of injury”.
“E-scooters have quickly become a popular mode of transport, particularly in our cities, but with that popularity comes vulnerability,” he said.
“As an emergency medicine consultant, I’ve seen just how frequent and serious the injuries can be when things go wrong – from broken bones to serious head trauma.”
Dr Cronin said that e-scooter users “have very little protection and very little room for error, especially when mixing with larger, faster vehicles”.
“We’re seeing a high and growing number of incidents, particularly among younger people, often involving no helmet or use in inappropriate or unsafe settings.”
The research also found that one in three e-scooter users rode on footpaths.
Using e-scooters on footpaths is not permitted under new regulations as these can pose a safety risk to pedestrians.
Speaking further on Drivetime on RTÉ Radio 1, Dr Cronin said e-scooter users had “limited ability to hit the brakes” when travelling at speed.
“When those small wheels hit something or collide with something – a rock or a stone or an object, a person – you’re going to go over very quickly.
“We’ve seen very severe head injuries. We see a lot of head injuries – a lot of them are minor, but there’s a potential for very severe brain injury.”
Approximately one in 10 e-scooter users said they carried a child passenger (13 per cent) or an adult passenger (8 per cent). Three in five users said they wore a helmet and two in three wore reflective gear when using an e-scooter.
Three in four users surveyed were aware that e-scooters were now legal to use on Irish roads.
Though there has been some public uncertainty regarding how e-scooter laws will be enforced, regular users said they considered it likely that they would be caught by the gardaí if they broke the rules.
Half of respondents said they believed the new 20km/h speed limit was appropriate, compared to 35 per cent of regular e-scooter users.
More than a third (36 per cent) of all respondents said they believed the speed limit was “too high”, compared to 30 per cent of regular e-scooter users.
Sarah O’Connor, director of partnerships and external affairs with the RSA, said the findings “show that while there is support for the new laws among all adults, risk-taking behaviour by e-scooter users is of concern, as is the safety of these users on our roads”.
“As e-scooter use continues to grow, it’s essential that riders, pedestrians, and all road users remain aware of and respectful toward one another to ensure everyone’s safety,” she said.
The research was conducted online by Ipsos B&A last October and comprised a sample of 1,254 participants. A further sample of e-scooter users was included in the survey and was made up of 254 adults under 35 living in urban areas.
