CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS HAVE been urged to think before they buy any E-scooters, quad bikes or scrambler bikes to children this month.

E-scooters are now the leading cause of traumatic brain injury among children admitted to CHI at Temple Street, Ireland’s national neurosurgical centre.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has launched a new safety campaign highlighting what it calls “significant safety risks” associated with these vehicles.

The body said this was particularly the case for children who “lack the physical, cognitive and motor skills needed” to operate the vehicles safely.

It’s the latest scrutiny on the powered vehicles, with the RSA having previously warned that nearly one in four e-scooter users have been involved in crashes.

This new campaign has been developed in collaboration with Dr Irwin Gill, Consultant in Neurodisability with Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Temple Street Hospital.

Drawing on real clinical experiences, the campaign uses the voices of imaginary children who have suffered injuries after falling from an e-scooter, quad bike or scrambler.

These messages argue that by buying a powered vehicle for a child, parents, guardians and relatives should “pause and consider whether it is legal, safe and appropriate” to do.

The initiative follows a separate RSA–CHI advertising campaign launched in November, warning parents not to buy e-scooters for children under 16.

Sam Waide, Chief Executive of the RSA, urged anyone shopping for children to reconsider gifting the powered vehicles.

“The greatest gift parents can give this year is ensuring the safety of their children. Parents should not consider purchasing a quad, scrambler or an e-scooter for any child this Christmas,” Waide said.