Hoverboards Keep Catching on Fire and the Government Wants to Know Why

The hoverboard backlash always seemed inevitable . First , there ’s the shoddy name . Then , there werevideos of atrocious accidentsand evenhoverboards spontaneously combusting . And today , Overstock.com announced that it would no longer sell the gizmo due to safety concern .

This is just the offset . TheUnited States Consumer Product Safety Commission ( CPSC)is already in the thick of a massive probe into the prophylactic of hoverboards . This seems like a very skillful idea ! Those two - pedal death machines are dangerous and there are currently no prophylactic standards in place . But help is on the style .

“ The CPSC is looking into the safety of the integral intersection line , ” Scott Wolfson , the government agency ’s communications director , told Gizmodo in an interview . “ We have active investigations into incidents that have occur in California , Ohio , Texas , Louisiana , and Alabama . There have been additional incidents in Florida and Pennsylvania . ”

Update 2025-01-09 : Within hours of this post being published the act of alive fire investigations originate to 10 investigation in nine states , Wolfson told us .

Wolfson specified that the investigation include both accident that make injury and incidents where hoverboards trip up on fire . Just yesterday , a videoshowing a hoverboard bursting into flamesin a Washington mall swept across the internet . This come about within a day of another hoverboardcatching fire in a New York homeand a couplet weeks after a fire hoverboarddestroyed a family ’s home in Louisiana . This is scarey stuff .

What ’s just as scary and evidently more rough-cut are the accident that keep to send hoverboard users to the emergency room . This is n’t a immense surprise . If you ’ve ever tried to tease on of these self - balance motor scooter , you ’ll know that there is a study curved shape involved in getting them to knead as advertised . You ’ve likely even flow yourself . ( I know I did , the one and only time I tried to drive one of these pain machines . )

But we ’re not just let the cat out of the bag about bumps and bruises . The CPSC is in constant communication with hospital around the country who place updates as people arrive in the emergency room with gadget - related injury . It ’s important to realize that the incidents the CPSC know about correspond only a portion of the total telephone number .

“ As of this hebdomad , we have receive more than 30 paper of masses that proceed to ER and that turn is likely to grow , ” Wolfson explained . “ These were not minor injuries , and that is just a snap of hospital that we have human relationship with . They are sending us real time data and some of those hurt have ensue in one clear head wounding and other grammatical case of significant harm to the arms and legs . ”

So what can be done ? permit ’s talk about the big picture first .

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The CPSC is an agency you may have never heard of , but it ’s belike saved your ass at some decimal point . These are the watchdog that issue recalls when defective products fail so terribly that it puts consumers at risk . The CPSC is also an enforceable agency so companies must follow its social club when they ’re handed down . establish on a recent conversation with the delegacy ’s communication theatre director — andits scary Twitter feedfull of material catching on flak — they do not fuck around .

As part of its on - going investigation , the CPSC is collecting various shuffling and models of hoverboards and testing them in a exceptional lab outside of Washington , DC . They ’re test not only canonic functionality of the futurist slight vehicle but also the assault and battery issue that could be causing the fires .

The federal agency ’s well familiar with this case enquiry . You might remember about a decade ago , there were widespread reports of laptops and cell phone get fire and even explode due to faulty batteries . The CPSC mistreat in there and worked with manufacturers to come in up with a set of safety standard aimed at protect consumers and making sure that these sorting of incident did n’t bechance again .

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“ This is a new Cartesian product we ’re talking about today , ” Wolfson take down . “ There ’s no safety standard in place , ”

And establishing a safety standard could be the outcome of the CPSC ’s current hoverboard investigating . The means is already broadcasting some safe tips that you should definitely travel along , if you ’re a hoverboarder .

“ Regarding hang our recommendation is similar to that of a skateboard : Gear up put on a helmet and put on cubitus inkpad and kneepads when riding a hoverboard , ” Wolfson said . He tot up that you should never plug in your hoverboard overnight , especially since many of the report fires come during burden . It ’s also just profound advice since it ’s much more potential that someone could get hurt or even defeat if a fervency start while everyone in the house is sleeping .

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So be careful out there , kinfolk . Rest easy know that authorities watchdog are working heavily to ensure that defective or unsafe hoverboards do n’t stop up in the marketplace . And maybe think doubly about buying one before the CPSC develop those banner in billet . These gadgets are severe !