Many major cities, retailers, companies and any institution with public space have jumped on the bandwagon of banning hoverboards. Even sports teams including the Carolina Panthers have banned their players from using the hoverboards. Coach Ron Rivera seems to be concerned about the safety of using such devices. In a recent ESPN article, ESPN quoted Rivera saying, “I will say this, too: I caught them drag racing in the freaking hallway one time, too.” And as funny as that quote sounds, it does reflect the concerns of the players on the team as well. ESPN also quoted Ed Dickson, one of the players for the Carolina Panthers who, in reference to the coach’s ban, said, “Guys appreciated it.” Now that NC State has banned the use of hoverboards on campus, some students seem to think the university’s policy is harsh or unnecessary. 

I can understand why this may be viewed as a somewhat trivial issue, and it is quite comical in many cases. However, hoverboards really do pose some safety risks that should be taken into account. The first of these concerns is that the board is inherently dangerous because of the way that it is used. Some people who are just not naturally gifted in the art of balancing and/or motor skills are a danger to themselves and others because they can run into stuff and fall over and get hurt. I have seen multiple people fall over on hoverboards personally, and again while it is somewhat hilarious, it is actually dangerous.

It is not just people’s lack of ability to operate this kind of vehicle safely that makes the nature of the hoverboard unsafe. Many feel that the size and capabilities of the hoverboard, and other vehicles similar to it like the Segway, fall into a category between what should be allowed on the road and what should be allowed on walkways. Many DMVs consider them to be motor vehicles and, therefore, too dangerous for public walkways, but obviously the hoverboard is not compatible with the vehicles that use thoroughfares. While it may seem trivial, it is the university’s job to keep people safe and to make calls like this.

While it is reasonable to be concerned about students having accidents with hoverboards, the larger threat they pose is through fire safety concerns. Apparently the batteries that hoverboards use are prone to burst into flames. Recently there was a BBC article titled “Hoverboard fire caused ‘total devastation’ to Australian house” that told the story of an Australian family who lost its home to a fire that was started by a hoverboard. The article claimed that “Fire crews said the popular electrical product was charging in a girl’s bedroom in the Melbourne suburb of Strathmore when the blaze started.” Obviously, the fire risk is a very serious problem with the hoverboards and is worthy cause for a campus-wide ban. If you doubt the seriousness of this issue, there is a large selection of similar articles and even YouTube videos that will convince you otherwise. 

While the ban on NC State’s campus seems to have been taken pretty seriously, as I have not seen a hoverboard on campus since, it seems that this is not the case everywhere a ban has been issued. While many major cities have issued bans on hoverboards, it seems that the police don’t seem to pay much attention to them. YouTube vlogger Casey Neistat posted a vlog about this to demonstrate how little the police care about hoverboards. Check out his channel to see it. While it seems like a reasonable issue for the campus to focus on, I can understand while it is not the priority of major cities.