Parents urged not to buy e-scooters or scramblers for children this Christmas

Doctors told an Oireachtas committee that e-scooter injuries are rising and scrambler incidents remain under-reported

Dr Phillips said that children were not capable of piloting e-scooters at high speeds and that medical professionals were seeking to avoid serious injuries. Picture: Nick Potts/PA Wire

An emergency doctor has urged parents not to buy e-scooters or scramblers for their children this Christmas at an Oireachtas committee, saying new legislation meant children could not legally use them.

Dr Shane Broderick, consultant in emergency medicine and trauma at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, was joined by his colleague Dr Luke Phillips, who said that between January 2021 and June 2026, four road users died and 59 were seriously injured in incidents involving scramblers.