The inherent design of e-scooters is 'half the issue' when it comes to safety.

That's according to Shane O'Donoghue of completecar.ie

He was speaking as figures show two people have died and 42 more suffered serious injuries from collisions involving e-scooters since the start of 2020.

Shane told Pat Kenny they shouldn't be equated with bikes.

"The inherent design of e-scooters is half the issue here.

"People see the supposed top speed of these things, say 25 km/h... and think 'Oh that's not very fast'.

"But they're very different to bicycles: you're standing on a very thin plate and the wheels are small.

"And also the steering access is actually very, very short in comparison to a bicycle.

"E-scooters are inherently less stable - so the issue is people think they're as easy to ride as a bicycle... but actually they're just less stable".

'That's a big deal'

He says there needs to be an emphasis around protective gear, such as helmets.

"There needs to be some more messaging about that from the RSA, from the Gardaí - whoever - ahead of the new legislation coming in.

"That's a big deal, really.

"People like to have the freedom of not wearing a helmet, certainly on bicycles... but scooters are very different.

"They're less table, so you are more likely to have an incident on them in terms of falling off or just stumbling or whatever".

And Shane believes helmets alone may not be enough.

"They're suggesting that you could do with maybe elbow pads, other protection maybe.

"Maybe more akin to what somebody might wear on a skateboard".