Paul Hopkins: Please, no more deaths by the Grace of law
Questions about the dangerous use of scrambler bikes have been asked in the Dáil since 2005. In 2010, then Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said that Section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 allowed Gardaí to seize scrambler bikes in breach of road traffic legislation.
Scrambler bikes and their illegal use have been causing problems in communities for years. Too many public spaces are ridden with riders tearing around estates. They need to be taken off the pavements and the parks and the football pitches and wherever they are used, to not just annoy but to endanger those who have had to live with the inevitable outcome of years of lax policing and indifference to the safety of others.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) last month published a detailed analysis of fatalities and serious injuries arising from crashes involving scramblers on public roads between 2021 and 2025. The findings highlight a clear and concerning road safety issue associated with scrambler use.
Key Findings show that three fatalities and 54 serious injuries occurred involving at least one scrambler bike. Of these, 42 were scrambler users (two fatalities and 40 serious injuries). All 42 bikers were male and 31 were aged 25 or younger. Twenty-five of the 42 scrambler users were involved in weekend collisions. Of the 15 other road users injured in crashes with scramblers, nine were pedestrians, two were cyclists, two were drivers and two were passengers.
The data suggests that young males are more likely to be involved in scrambler-related crashes, while pedestrians are the largest group of non-scrambler users seriously injured in such incidents.
RSA Director Michael Rowland says: “This analysis demonstrates a persistent and serious safety risk associated with the use of scramblers on public roads. The profile is clear — young men are most at risk."
Last weekend's measures under 'Grace's Law' came into effect, banning scramblers in all public places. It will also, hopefully, strengthen Garda enforcement.
The 18-year-old man behind the horrific death of Grace Lynch, who was just 16, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is expected back before the courts in May. I say man, because that's what he legally is – old enough to vote, to go into a pub, to drive a car, to join the Army. Old enough to know better. Saying "sorry" in no way excuses Keith Lee's reckless and deadly deed, despite the courts hearing of mental health issues.
The parents of Grace, who died in January after being hit at a pedestrian crossing on the Ratoath Road, say there is no point having a law banning the bikes, if Gardaí are not allowed to chase the riders.
Her parents had called for a total ban on scramblers and urged the Government to take immediate action.
There have been laws in place, which were strengthened in recent years, to deal with the problem. Since July, 2023, scramblers have been illegal on public roads. It is also illegal to drive them dangerously on private land. Gardaí have had powers to seize any scrambler being driven dangerously anywhere and can enter properties to take them. The bikes though, by their nature, when on public roads can be elusive.
It has taken the death of Grace Lynch to jolt the Government into a rapid response to a problem for which there has been plenty of legislation but seemingly little real action to stamp out the dangerous use of these vehicles. Now, the Department of Transport says the new law will strengthen existing powers for Gardaí and bring "additional legal clarity".
Grace's parents Siobhán and Martin say there is no point having a new law banning the bikes if Gardaí are not allowed to chase the culprits – citing a court ruling last week in which a Garda was banned from driving for two years for dangerous driving while in pursuit of two masked scrambler riders in 2024. Garda Sean Shields says he was doing his best to try to address the "scourge” of scrambler bikes and denied his driving had been dangerous.
Unless we follow the letter of 'Grace's Law', our dangerous coddling of criminal behaviour will inevitably lead to more deaths.
Our laws need to be tougher and reflect the crime. The maximum sentence the man who killed Grace Lynch could serve, according to Irish law, is 10 years. If sentenced to such, he would likely be out in seven years. He’ll be 25. Grace was just 16, a girl with her whole life ahead of her.