Children as young as nine are presenting with traumatic brain injuries relating to e-scooter incidents, according to Dr Irwin Gill.
Dr Gill, a consultant in neurodisability at CHI at Temple Street, told RTÉ's Behind the Story podcast some of the injuries he has seen have been "lifechanging".
This comes despite the fact that legislation was passed governing the use of e-scooters in Ireland in May 2024, which states that riders must be at least 16 years old.
"Traumatic brain injuries from e-scooters are currently the leading cause of traumatic brain injury requiring admission to the hospital in Temple Street," Dr Gill said.
"They account for about 25% of all traumatic brain injuries requiring admission.
"This has gone from being something that wasn’t a problem at all to being the single, biggest contributor to serious head injuries".
Read more: Alcohol, drug use in e-scooter crashes doubles, study finds
Dr Gill said half of those admitted have required neurosurgery to repair the damage that was done.
"In many cases children are leaving hospital having made recoveries in many areas but [are] leaving with ongoing difficulties – and only time will tell how long those difficulties [will last]," he said.
"I’m conscious that there are other children who are admitted or attend the Emergency Department who we never see – the ones who might have broken arms or legs and facial injuries," he said.
Dr Gill explained that children who fall from e-scooters will see a hospital stay "more directly comparable to children who have been involved in road traffic accidents involving cars – either as passengers or who were struck by cars - than say children who were on a bicycle and fell off".
E-scooter legislation requires that riders follow the rules of the road with only one person on a scooter – but there is no law requiring users to wear a helmet.
Dr Gill said he believes something needs to change.
"Given that many people seem to be unaware of the rules and the severity of the consequences, this hopefully is the start of a much-needed effort to try and keep children safe," he said.
"They are not currently safe based on the rules that have been put in place.
"Our responsibility is to bring the lack of safety to the attention of people who are then qualified and authorised to make those kinds of decisions".
"I think everybody is noticing that there are major safety concerns across the board in relation to the increase in injuries from these devices," he added.
Also on the podcast, as CAO offers reach students today, David, Katie and Fran reflect on demographic pressure and grade deflation which has had an impact on this year's Leaving Cert students.
While 51% received an offer of their top choice, that's down from last year's 56%. Points for several courses increased substantially.
You can listen to Behind the Story which is available on the RTÉ Radio Player.
You can also find episodes on Apple here, or on Spotify here.
