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No 'hoverboard' is safe from UK Trading Standards
"Hoverboards" are getting a pretty bad rap of late, and not just because their common name is annoyingly misleading. Several UK retailers have stopped selling the things due to serious concerns over battery safety -- they have a habit of spontaneously combusting, you see -- with Amazon even advising customers to bin their potentially dodgy models. A number of airlines won't carry them, the US is scrambling to regulate the fad, and earlier this month UK Trading Standards announced it had seized over 15,000 unsafe devices at sea ports, airports and postal hubs since mid-October. This hasn't seemed to dent their popularity much, however, with Trading Standards telling BuzzFeed that figure has now spiked to 32,000 in just a few weeks.
Lucozade thief may also be first UK 'hoverboard' conviction
As an orange Lucozade addict, I can't help but quietly applaud the work of the Hoverboard Lucozade Bandit (hat tip to VICE for coining the name). Not just for his choice of loot, but for executing the most brazen raid in the history of the Mitcham Co-op. Who dares to ride a whirring, neon steed into a local shop, pick up an entire crate of the orange nectar, and pull off a masterful three-point turn before setting off down the road like nothing was amiss? The Hoverboard Lucozade Bandit, that's who. But alas, his 15 minutes of infamy are at an end, with the Met Police confirming he's been tracked down and charged. The Croydon native isn't only accused of theft (and failing to comply with a court order), though, but could be the first person in the UK ever convicted for riding a "hoverboard" on the pavement.
Over 15,000 'unsafe' hoverboards seized at UK borders
Self-balancing scooters. Hoverboards. Whatever you want to call them, they're now a smash-hit in Britain. Companies are now scrambling to offer cheaper and sleeker versions in time for Christmas, but there's a problem: the majority are unsafe, according to Trading Standards. Officers have examined more than 17,000 "hoverboards" at sea ports, airports and postal hubs since October 15th. Of these, more than 15,000, or 88 percent, were deemed dangerous due to "a range of concerns" related to internal batteries and cut-off switches, chargers, plugs and cabling.
London Mayor calls for UK to legalise hoverboards
Even though they can't actually levitate, "hoverboard" self-balancing scooters have become a huge hit. Celebrities are jumping on the two-wheeled bandwagon, either signing deals to promote the next big brand or attaching their name to one of their own. That's helped boost sales of the popular toy in the UK, but the law actually dictates that they can't be ridden in a public space.The Crown Prosecution Service says that the Highway Act 1835 limits hoverboard use on pavements, while various vehicle registration agencies won't licence or register them for road use. Riders can be fined up to £500 if caught doing so, but London Mayor Boris Johnson is making it his mission to legalise their use based on "intergenerational fairness."
