Scramblers will be taken off public roads, the Taoiseach has said, following the death of a teenage girl in a collision involving one of the vehicles on Sunday.
Micheál Martin said he wished to extend his “deepest sympathies” to the family of teenager Grace Lynch after her “shocking” death in the Finglas area of Dublin, reports Breaking News.
He said: “No words will console the family on the devastating loss of their beautiful daughter,” reports Breaking News.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, he added: “I will be engaging with ministers to make sure that anything and everything that has to be done will be done to remove these scramblers from our public roads”, reports Breaking News.
Earlier, the minister responsible for road transport said scramblers should not be allowed in any public space or on public roads.
When asked when legislation banning or restricting scramblers in certain areas would take effect, Sean Canney said he had requested an “early date” from Department of Justice officials for when the regulation would be introduced, reports Breaking News.
“The legislation there already, which came in in 2023, says dangerous driving becomes an offence on any ground, not just in a public place – it is any place. Also that gardaí have the power to seize the offending machines.”
Asked where they should be prohibited, Mr Canney told RTÉ radio: “Scramblers should not be permissioned in any public space in this country, I fail to see why we need to have them in public spaces”, reports Breaking News.
He said this “absolutely” included roads.
Pressed on whether this position would be reflected in regulations being drafted by Government officials, he said he would be examining the issue “very closely” with his officials, reports Breaking News.
Mr Canney said gardaí and the Department of Justice are developing a code of practice for the use of drones to track scramblers to ensure it is “foolproof” against legal challenges.
The independent TD also said he had directed local authorities to bring in bylaws to cut speed limits in urban areas from 50kmh to 30kmh by the end of the year, reports Breaking News.
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