They’re cool, they’re stylish, and they’re sleek. In recent months hoverboards have quickly become one of the most popular and coolest methods of transportation. However, are they really all that safe?
Hoverboards are best described as self-balancing electric scooters. However, because of the recent increase in skepticism of the board’s safety, retailers such as Amazon, Target, and Overstock actually removed the product from their inventories during the holiday season, causing quite a ruckus with consumers.
Reports of fires and other injuries have caused great concern among not only consumers but manufacturers and those in charge of the safety of the general public. According to the Chairman of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are currently 29 emergency room visits and 11 reports of fires in 10 states logged since the hoverboards entered the market.
Paul Ziobro, writer for the Wall Street Journal, states in his article that “the U.S. Postal service said it would no longer allow hoverboards with lithium batters to by shipped by plane. Out of an abundance of caution the devices will be restricted to ground shipping,”
In her article for New York Times, Katie Rogers says “[o]fficials have banned the troublesome toys from sidewalks and airplanes, and fire marshals across the United States are issuing warnings against them amid stories of fires and explosions.”
Some of the more accessible hoverboards carry cheaply produced batteries.
“Lithium-ion batteries are versatile and lightweight enough to be used in a variety of electronics, including laptops and cellphones, but the hazards of packing so much energy into a compact battery has its drawbacks. Poorly designed batters can overheat and are prone to explosion. There is no guarantee that even high-quality batteries won’t catch fire, which means it won’t be easy for consumers to safeguard against hoverboard fires,” says Rogers.
“Confusion in the market is amplified by a range of new companies – with names like PhunkeeDuck, IO Hawk and Jetson – jostling for legitimacy” says Paul Ziobro.
As of right now, the companies producing the hoverboards which are prone to combustion have not been named, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission is working on investigating these producers.
When it comes to prevention, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is “recommending that consumers don’t charge the hoverboards overnight or when they’re home, and avoid buying them from places like mall kiosks and online retailers where the product’s origin is difficult to track.”
Saint Leo University Campus Security and Safety sent out a school wide email on Jan. 27 that issued a ban on the use and possession of hoverboards on campus grounds due to new safey concerns. This ban becomes effective immediately Feb. 8.
