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Freeze on all scrambler use needed while legislation and Garda approach are finalised

  • Grace Lynch’s tragic death must be a watershed moment.
  • Communities and public representatives have warned for years about this dangerous and intimidating behaviour.
  • The blind eye approach must end, with an immediate freeze on scramblers until a comprehensive strategy is in place.
  • Gardaí face challenges where users are under 18, but young people cannot be allowed to act with impunity.
  • Targeted Garda checkpoints are needed to stop and confiscate scramblers, with dynamometer testing at all urban speed checkpoints.
  • Government inaction is indefensible, with almost three years lost on regulation and still no operational policy on drone use, leaving communities exposed.

Labour’s Marie Sherlock TD has today called for an immediate nationwide freeze on the use of all scrambler bikes, following the heartbreaking death of teenager Grace Lynch, who was fatally struck by a scrambler, saying this tragedy is the nightmare communities have feared for years and demanding urgent Government action to end dangerous and illegal vehicle use on our streets and in our parks.

Deputy Sherlock said:

“My heart goes out to the family and friends of Grace Lynch. Grace’s tragic and needless death has shocked people right across the country. A young life has been lost in circumstances that were entirely preventable, and that fact makes this tragedy even harder to bear. This is the nightmare parents, residents and public representatives have been warning about for years, and it must be a watershed moment in how we deal with scramblers and other illegal vehicles.

“For far too long, there has been a blind eye approach to the dangerous and illegal use of scramblers, e-bikes and e-scooters. This behaviour has become normalised in our communities. It intimidates residents, terrifies parents, and places children and pedestrians in constant danger. That cannot continue. We cannot wait for another family to be devastated before the Government finally acts.

“Public representatives and communities have been crying out for a comprehensive strategy to deal with this problem for years. Instead, the Government response has been half-hearted and slow. Nearly three years after promising regulation on where these vehicles can be used, we still have no meaningful enforcement framework and no operational policy on the use of drones. It has been all talk and very little action.

“We have seen the consequences of this in the past. The catastrophic injuries suffered by Ilabek Avetian in Coolock in 2018 should have been a wake-up call. More recently, we know that e-scooter related brain injuries now account for over 25 percent of paediatric neurosurgical admissions in CHI at Temple Street in the past year alone. These are stark facts that demonstrate clearly a growing public safety crisis.

“It is now critical that we introduce an immediate freeze on the use of all scrambler bikes across Ireland while a clear and comprehensive strategy is put in place. I understand that some in the farming community rely on scramblers, but the reality is that lives are being put at risk every day. A temporary freeze is desperately needed while legislation and the Garda approach are properly worked out.

“Gardaí have been clear with me about the difficulties they face, particularly where many of those using scramblers, e-bikes and e-scooters are under 18. That complexity cannot be an excuse for inaction. Young people cannot be allowed to act with impunity on our streets. We need a robust and visible Garda response, including targeted checkpoints in specific areas to stop and confiscate scramblers being used illegally.

“We also need mass confiscation of vehicles that do not meet regulations or are being driven dangerously. Dynamometer testing should be deployed at all Garda speed checkpoints in urban areas to identify illegally modified bikes. We must examine whether there is a legislative gap that allows retailers to sell non-compliant vehicles under the guise of off-road use, and we must shut that down.

“Other countries have shown what can be done. In Manchester, drone units have been deployed to track illegal use, and in the Netherlands, authorities seize imported vehicles that do not meet regulations. Here, the Government has dragged its heels, leaving Gardaí without the tools they need. We must also consider whether a dedicated Garda unit is required to tackle this issue properly.

“The tragic death of Grace Lynch must mark a turning point. We need an immediate freeze on scramblers, decisive enforcement on the ground, and a comprehensive national strategy that puts public safety first. The Government must stop offering empty promises and start delivering real action, because no family should ever have to endure a loss like this again.”