’Tis the season for frustrations, failures and frayed nerves over new and unfamiliar technology. Consumer watchdogs in Australia are urging shoppers to proceed with caution when buying this year’s in-demand gift: the hoverboard.
It’s a far cry from the Furby or Cabbage Patch Kid of yore, but the hoverboard is a hot gift this year – so much so that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has felt it necessary to remind shoppers to purchase safe products.
Hoverboards – otherwise known as self-balancing scooters or “swegways” – are electric two-wheeled ride-on devices, which cost from about $200 to as much as $2,400.
The ACCC has identified two safety concerns with hoverboards: fires caused by faulty chargers, and the risk of injury from falling off them.
It has advised those considering buying one to check that the packaging is marked with the Australian regulatory compliance symbol, a tick surrounded by a triangle, which shows that it complies with electrical safety requirements.
Overcharging devices that do not comply may cause the battery to overheat, causing a fire.
A hoverboard exploded into flames at a mall in Washington on Thursday, reported as an example of the devices “wreaking havoc across the United States”.
Hoverboard starts on fire at mall. Are they safe? #DramaAlert pic.twitter.com/exGdtZBvA9
— KEEMSTAR (@KEEMSTARx) December 9, 2015
The ACCC advised Australian hoverboard owners to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and supervise the charging of the devices.
The greater risk of operating a hoverboard is far more mundane.
As their operation relies entirely on balance, the ACCC notes “falls … are highly likely” and could result in injuries such as fractures, sprains, cuts, bruising, spinal and head injuries, and concussion.
It advises hoverboard users to wear helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards and shoes.
But Bill Vertucci, of the Sydney skate shop Skater HQ, an enthusiastic proponent of hoverboards, said this is simply common sense.
“Like any wheeled vehicle, common sense and a bit of training goes a huge distance … Literally three minutes of standing on it, you’ll be riding it around with the biggest grin on your face.”
He said hoverboards were safer than most toys, and certainly skateboards, because they were self-balancing.
“They’re easy, they’re fun, they’re non-polluting – everything is good about this vehicle, except for the press. But when skateboards started out, we had the same thing, and with rollerblades and everything else.
“Compared to learning to ride a skateboard, it’s way, way easier, because it won’t shoot out from under you.”
The more expensive models were no safer than the cheaper ones, but were better built and longer-lasting, Vertucci said.
The ACCC recommends that hoverboard users check with their local traffic authorities or police before riding it in public, as rules vary between states and territories. If you’ve been squeezing the presents under the tree and think that a hoverboard might be among them, it might be wise to inquire before Christmas day.
In October Britain’s crown prosecution service announced that hoverboards were too unsafe to ride on the road, and too dangerous to ride on the pavement – effectively making it illegal to ride them in public, even in parks.
Writing on the “crackdown”, the Guardian’s Peter Walker suggested that hoverboard users might like to ride their devices in “a very big, paved garden”.
