Consumer Product Safety Commission Declares All Hoverboards Unsafe
No hoverboard currently on the market can be considered safe, according to an alarming notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
After months of investigation into the safety hazards posed by hoverboards, the CPSC issued an official notice late in February. The agency’s letter contained new hoverboard safety standards for manufacturers, retailers, and importers; failure to follow the standards could result in enforcement actions such as seizure of inventory as well as civil and criminal penalties, according to the CPSC.
The CPSC also called on all manufacturers and retailers of hoverboards to voluntarily take the small scooters off the market until they can be evaluated by UL, an independent testing firm that certifies electronic products for safety.
Although the CPSC’s action does not technically constitute a recall, the notice is expected to lead to recalls from major retailers and manufacturers.
“This is us drawing a line in the sand and a notice for the entire hoverboard community,” Elliot F. Kaye, the chairman of the CPSC, told the website Mashable.
Hoverboards — which are also called “self-balancing scooters” — grabbed headlines in 2015 as the newest consumer “fad,” especially during the holiday season. While the motorized boards proved popular among young people, they also raised a host of safety concerns as numerous accounts and videos surfaced of the boards causing injuries and even bursting into flames due to battery defects.
Negative media coverage often focused on less-expensive, Chinese-made models of hoverboards, and some outlets suggested that safety concerns could be remedied by purchasing higher-quality, U.S.-manufactured models. However, the new report from CPSC casts doubt on that line of thinking with its conclusion that no current hoverboard model can be deemed safe.
The CPSC’s notice applies to all self-balancing scooters, including single-wheeled models. Consumers can read the CPSC’s letter to hoverboard companies here.
If you’ve been injured by a hoverboard or any other dangerous or defective product, please call the personal injury attorneys at Hossley & Embry: (866) 522-9265. You can also send us an email at newcase@hossleyembry.com. One of our firms’ primary focus points is providing quality representation to victims of defective products. We provide free consultations and have the resources available (including charter aircraft) to travel throughout Texas and the United States on short notice to investigate your potential claim.
References
Moynihan, T. (2015, December 12). Why hoverboards keep exploding. Wired. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2015/12/why-hoverboards-keep-exploding/
Strange, A. (2016, February 19). U.S. government declares hoverboards unsafe. Mashable. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2016/02/19/hoverboards-unsafe/#NHfiZ1O1jaqr