Road Safety Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-29 ============================================================ Seán Canney (IND), Galway East I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. I convey my sincere sympathy to the family and friends of the late Grace Lynch, who was so tragically killed at a pedestrian crossing as she was out for a walk. It is unbearable to think people are not safe while out walking like that. There is an onus on us all as public representatives to tackle the issues in this regard. I will clarify a few issues that may be causing confusion for the public. The Road Traffic and Roads Act, which was enacted in June 2023, provided enhanced enforcement powers for the Garda in respect of antisocial behaviour by riders of scramblers. The Act introduced three key measures in relation to scramblers. In combination, those measures have substantially prohibited the use of scramblers in public places and their dangerous use anywhere. I want to be clear that there is no lawful reason for most scramblers to be on our public roads and that An Garda Síochána has the relevant enforcement powers it needs to police compliance with the legislation, as I shall outline. The 2023 Act made dangerous driving an offence everywhere, whereas it had previously been an offence only in public places. The Act also enhanced the Garda's powers of vehicle seizure such that members of the force have the power to seize a scrambler being driven dangerously in any location. Moreover, members of An Garda Síochána can enter the curtilage of a dwelling to seize a scrambler. This allows them to seize a vehicle that was detected earlier. High-speed pursuits may endanger gardaí and the drivers of those vehicles, meaning it may be necessary to seize the vehicle later, when it is safer to do so. In 2024, gardaí seized 124 scramblers. The latest figures show that by the end of October 2025, they had seized another 113 scramblers. The third key measure in the Act is that it enables the Minister for Transport to make regulations to prohibit or restrict the use of certain classes of vehicles in particular places. These three provisions should be read together, given their interlinked nature. They were all commenced by SI 392/2023 in July 2023. Since that date, it has been an offence to drive dangerously anywhere and An Garda Síochána has had the necessary enforcement powers to seize a vehicle that is being driven dangerously. While the commencement of the third provision created regulation-making powers to restrict certain classes of vehicles, any such regulations will be incremental on the other restrictions, and no regulations have yet been made. My Department has been conducting stakeholder consultation on the potential content of any additional regulations in terms of what might be added to the existing prohibitions and restrictions. The regulations are at an advanced stage of development. I have made it clear, on the public record and with my officials, that I want to be presented with these regulations for signature as a matter of urgency. Following a Government meeting yesterday, I can confirm that the Government has agreed to introduce regulations to ban the use of scramblers on public roads and in public places and a memorandum outlining this will be brought to the Cabinet in the coming weeks. Stakeholder consultation is a normal part of making any regulations under the Road Traffic Acts to help ensure they are practically enforceable and provide the required powers to achieve a given road safety end. While An Garda Síochána is a key partner, given its exclusive role in enforcement, impacts on the Courts Service must also be considered. The Road Traffic and Roads Act provided significant enhanced enforcement powers for the Garda in relation to scramblers. In effect, these provisions ensure the Garda has the powers to enforce dangerous driving laws with respect to scramblers and seize dangerously driven vehicles, whether a scrambler is being driven on a public road, in a public space or in a private space. As a matter of urgency, my Department is progressing regulations to further strengthen the existing legal position and provide additional enforcement powers for An Garda Síochána. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-29/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:34+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-01-29