Hoverboard Safety Alert

By Floyd Arthur

All across the United States, hoverboards were the go-to holiday gift this year. The self-propelled, self-balancing scooters literally flew off the store shelves at big box retailers like Walmart and Target, and were one of the biggest sellers on Amazon.com. Then, less than two weeks before Christmas, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a statement warning consumers that many of the hoverboards being sold in the U.S. were unsafe.

The issues with the scooters  were not minor. In addition to hundreds of reports from emergency rooms across the nation of serious injuries due to falls, the CPSC received dozens of complaints from consumers that the devices were exploding and catching fire.

The problem stems from the devices’ lithium-ion batteries, which have a well-documented tendency to explode. In 2005 and 2006, millions of Sony-made lithium-ion batteries in laptop computers were recalled when several hundred of them caught fire. Last year, the electric car manufacturer Tesla was forced to do a remote software upgrade on thousands of its model S luxury cars when several of the cars’ batteries caught fire. And in 2014, Boeing briefly grounded its entire fleet of 787 Dreamliners after batteries on two of the planes blew up.

Amazon Temporarily Halts Hoverboard Sales

In the wake of the CSPC statement, on Dec. 14, 2015, Amazon.com made the unprecedented decision to halt all sales of hoverbooards on its site and offered customers a full refund on any hoverboard purchase they had made. The online retailer even went so far as to urge customers to throw away the boards rather than return them to the company.

Several days later, Amazon.com resumed sales of the Indiana-based Swagway scooters after the manufacturer submitted safety data and documentation from its legal team. However, it continues to warn customers that all other hoverboard brands, including the popular scooter made by RioRand, are unsafe.

All major U.S. airlines and many international carriers have since banned hoverboards on all aircraft both in the passenger cabin and cargo hold.

CPSC Hoverboard Guidelines

On Dec. 16, 2015, CPSC Chairman Elliot F. Kaye issued a statement to the public regarding the hazards of hoverboards and outlined precautions regarding their purchase and sale. These included:

• Buy only from reputable retailers. Avoid buying a hoverboard at a mall kiosk, or online from an unknown or unreliable source. “If you do not think you could find the seller again... that should be a warning to you not to do business with them,” said Kaye.
• Do not charge a hoverboard overnight or in a location where it is close to anything that can catch fire.
• Do not charge a hoverboard immediately after riding it. Allow it to cool for at least 60 minutes before charging.
• Check the hoverboard  for the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) label. If it isn’t there, return the product to the seller. **
• Do not ride the hoverboard in the street or on a busy sidewalk.
• Wear a helmet and safety gear, including wrist, knee and elbow pads when riding the scooter.

Mr. Kaye also urged the U.S. to adopt safety standards for hoverboard use.

**According to U.S. Customs Enforcement and Protection, thousands of products with counterfeit UL labels are smuggled into the U.S. each year, so the presence of a label is not a safety guarantee.

While it’s natural to be curious about new technologies, safety should always be our major concern. And helping you keep your family safe and protected is what we do best. Our trained agents are expert in all types of insurance for your home and your business, so let us help you design a comprehensive program that meets your needs. Call us at 516-292-3780 any weekday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Or, if you prefer, request a free consultation online now.

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