The Government is considering a range of measures to target the misuse of electric scooters following an increase in incidents involving the vehicles, the junior Minister in charge of the issue has said.Seán Canney, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, said e-scooters are “of benefit to people”, but need to be used responsibly.Speaking at the Oireachtas transport committee on Wednesday, Canney labelled the misuse of such vehicles as “stupidity”. An e-scooter, which has a small standing platform, is propelled by an electric motor. Under current legislation, anyone who uses one must be over the age of 16, obey a speed limit of 20km/h, and not use it to deliver goods. However, there are concerns that such rules are not being adequately enforced.Canney said Ministers are considering bringing in new regulations which may require owners to register, insure and tax the vehicles. He said the Government can “put in as many rules and regulations as we like” but they need to ensure such rules are enforceable. “We have to make sure that whatever we do [is] effective in terms of the sale, the licensing or the registration of these machines, and also who’s responsible for them. “Insurance, should they be taxed? ... We have to look at all of that, and that’s what we’re doing at the moment.”Canney said he discussed the matter with Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and Tánaiste Simon Harris at a meeting on Tuesday.Canney said he was recently in a shop that sold e-scooters alongside prams. He checked the specifications of one vehicle and was shocked to find it could reach speeds of 40 or 50km/h. “It was a baby shop – it was selling buggies, it was selling prams and e-scooters - that put up red alarm bells going all over the place for me. How in the name of God would they be trying to market them in a place like that?”Consultants who work at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) have raised concerns about a sharp increase in admissions of children with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) sustained in e-scooter accidents.In a letter in The Irish Times on Tuesday, six consultants said the number of children admitted to hospitals following such incidents had increased by 50 per cent in the last year, and said e-scooters account for more than one-third of all TBI admissions to Temple Street. Fine Gael TD Grace Boland asked Canney about the letter, noting the very serious impact of people using e-scooters in an unsafe manner.Canney said the “medical evidence” presented by CHI helped to “demonstrate the end result of this stupidity”. Regulations on the use of scrambler bikes - typically bigger and more powerful than e-scooters - came into effect in April. Grace’s Law was named in memory of Grace Lynch, a 16-year-old girl who was killed in an incident involving a scrambler in Finglas in January. Canney also defended plans to reform the Road Safety Authority (RSA), rather than disband the organisation.The Government announced plans in late 2024 to split the RSA into two entities - one focused on road safety and the other on provision of services - after an independent external review by Indecon consulting recommended such a move. However, the plan was dropped late last year, with the Government citing costs. The U-turn was heavily criticised by road safety groups and members of the Opposition.Speaking at the committee, Canney said the body is currently compiling a list of reforms, adding: “I feel strongly that we can reform the RSA from within.”Some 190 people died in road traffic collisions in the Republic last year, the highest number in more than a decade. More than 80 people have died on Irish roads to date this year.