There's Still No Answer To Hoverboard Safety Investigations

It has been nearly two months since the US started to take a deeper look into the fad that has exploded, both literally and figuratively, with both young and young at heart alike: hoverboards. From exploding units to falling off functioning ones, hoverboards have become a big question mark for the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and other government agencies investigating the matter. And sadly, no one still seems to have a definite answer, much less a firm action, to resolve these issues so that hoverboards can start rolling again.

It's like a frustrating detective story that has too many clues littered, making it almost impossible to find a way out. From the very start, however, it's the fire hazard that these toys, or vehicles if you prefer, pose that has caught the attention of government and consumer watchdogs. And naturally, just like the husband or the butler, the lithium-ion batteries are the first suspects.

The CPSC wants to clarify one crucial point. That "UL Certified" sticker might not mean what you think it means. The Underwriters Laboratories certifies components like batteries and power packs, not hoverboards themselves. So if you see a hoverboard advertising itself as such, take it with a grain of salt.

But while the case of the batteries are still being investigated, the CPSC is already looking into some other, remotely related, but still dangerous problem. People are falling off these hoverboards, sometimes leading to life-altering injuries. The agency is investigating whether hoverboards are being designed without taking into consideration all these safety precautions.

All of these mean that investigations are still ongoing and there is no end in sight yet. There is nothing left to do except to wait or demand a refund. The CPSC commends Amazon for taking action on the matter, offering a full refund for those who have already given up on freely riding the roads on two wheels. That isn't a bicycle, of course.

SOURCE: US CPSC