Grace’s Law 'means nothing' without enforcement, her father says

Olivia Kelleher

The father of a 16-year-old girl who died after being struck by a scrambler bike has said that the enactment of a law which made the use of such bikes illegal on public roads “means nothing” without enforcement.

Grace Lynch (16) lost her life in January after she was struck at a pedestrian crossing on Ratoath Road in Finglas, Dublin 11.

An 18-year-old man later appeared in court charged in connection with the incident.

New regulations, known as Grace’s Law in her memory, that ban the use of scrambler motorbikes in public places came into effect in April.

In an interview with RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland, her father Martin Lynch expressed concern that gardaí still find themselves without the powers to enforce the law.

Mr Lynch said that far too many lives are being put at risk.

“The main point is how easy it is to get your hands on all these vehicles. It is far too easy. Something has to give to stop this. They do a lot more in the UK.

"They use a whole raft of tools to tackle dangerous driving and illegal vehicles. At the moment here, we brought a law in and that is pretty much it.

"The guards have no pursuit training. They don’t have the vehicles to tackle these people. In the UK, the police force have the same or better vehicles to intercept (scramblers) on the streets. They are very quick to react.

"They have air support, they have plainclothes (officers), they have electric vehicles, they have scramblers, they have training to intercept vehicles and to bring them to a stop.

"Over here, the guards can’t do that. If they do, they are going to be punished.”

Mr Lynch said that enforcement alone will not address the issue.

“It all comes back to the sale and import into the country. There are speed limits set out by the Government for e-bikes and e-scooters and the electric bikes.

“The vehicles being sold go three or four times the limit that’s set. Which makes no sense. If you have a speed limit, why would you allow someone to sell a vehicle that could go four times the speed limit?

"You don’t have to register these vehicles. Nobody knows who owns them. If you bring someone to court to say you have supplied that to a minor, how can you actually prove who owns that vehicle when they were never registered in the first place.”

Mr Lynch said that individuals who are on scrambler bikes “just do what they want” on Irish roads and footpaths.

“To allow an unknown amount of people drive on footpaths is insane or go across fields or come out through traffic and just do what they want. They don’t obey any rules of the road.

The law (Grace’s Law) was great and it was welcomed but if it can’t be policed and enforced it is redundant. We have to actually make it mean something.”

On Tuesday, Grace’s parents Martin and Siobhan will address a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Justice Committee along with the Garda Commissioner, the Road Safety Authority and the Irish Road Victims Association.

Meanwhile, an inquest held in May heard that Grace died from “multiple traumatic injuries due to a road traffic collision.”

Due to ongoing criminal proceedings linked to Grace’s death, the coronial case was adjourned indefinitely.

Grace was one of four people who have died in collisions on Irish roads over the last five years where at least one scrambler bike was involved, while 59 others were injured.

Her parents and the wider community in her native Finglas led the campaign to have scramblers banned from public roads.