Gardaí warn of danger of quad bikes

Gardaí are to mount an awareness campaign to deter parents from buying quad bikes and scramblers as Christmas presents after it emerged they have been instructed not to pursue anyone using such vehicles in public parks on safety grounds.

The Garda Community Policing Unit, together with juvenile liaison officers, is to highlight the danger of such vehicles in an effort to discourage parents from buying them for children at Christmas time.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said she had been informed by Garda authorities that they had found it difficult to enforce a ban that operated in public parks on the use of quad bikes and scramblers.