The minimum age limit for riding a hoverboard is 16. However, children can also ride hoverboards but not on highways. It is also not safe for children to ride on roads.
How Old Should You Be For A Hoverboard
By law, you must be at least 16 years old if you want to ride a hoverboard in public, which is a legal age for hoverboarding. Another thing to note is that helmets are mandatory for all drivers, and you will only be able to drive them on streets with a speed limit of 35 MPH. That’s not all. People who are seen disobeying the law will have to pay a whopping $250, which could be even more expensive than this shiny hoverboard, so watch out!
Even though there is no hard and fast rule about the age limit of hoverboards, we shouldn’t let children under 8 years old use hoverboards.
Where can you ride a Hoverboard?
Hoverboards are legal in most countries and a legal form of transportation. As a result, many companies are continually manufacturing them on a large scale. There have been many unfortunate incidents of hoverboards catching fire in recent years, which is dangerous for drivers and other pedestrians. Because of these incidents, some countries have introduced new laws that ensure complete control over manufacturing standards.
Even though hoverboards are cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and cheaper than other two-wheeled transportation, they still have some cons that have caused many countries to introduce new laws.
Riding a hoverboard is legal on the side in most countries. However, some states in the U.S. have banned these self-balancing scooters from sides and roads because they cannot be classified as motor vehicles. Other U.S. states, except New York, have not passed any strict laws or bills that could prevent people from using these self-balancing scooters on roads and sides.
Safety Considerations
Hoverboards have caught the attention of millions of children and adults with their modern and stylish technology. The Internet has played a significant role in increasing its popularity.
Explosions and detonations aren’t the only concerns with hoverboards, there are other dangers, and you need to be aware of them.
The maximum speed limit for hoverboards
The maximum hoverboard speed limit is 15mph or even less in some parts of the United States. However, it is best to avoid riding on a maximum speed limit to avoid any fines and violations of laws.
Helmet
It is mandatory to wear a helmet while riding a hoverboard to ensure riders’ safety.
Light
According to the new laws, every hoverboard model must have lights, especially at night. If your hoverboard does not have lights, you should strictly avoid driving it at night.
Alcohol
It is strictly forbidden to consume alcohol while riding a hoverboard; otherwise, you can be fined $250 or more if caught drinking and driving a hoverboard.
Other concerns
Adult Supervision
If you bought a high-quality hoverboard from an official certified site and let your 8-year-old ride it, you still need to be careful. First, you must ensure your child wears a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads every time they go out to play.
Second, don’t let your child out of your sight while on the board to avoid injury or bruising. Finally, keep your child from going at the maximum speed of about 10 MPH because accidents are more likely with less control. Using it at low speeds can protect yourself from being thrown against the coarse aggregate pavement.
Location
Location is often overlooked when it is so vital in the safety department. Riding in a busy area with lots of traffic would be a foolish decision to make.
Recently, a teenager died in a traffic accident while riding a hoverboard, so choose your location carefully. A park or quiet neighborhood is as close to a perfect address to swing your hoverboard around. We also don’t recommend riding it in steep areas, as they usually have a 30-degree restriction on going up or down a hill.
Weight Limit
To ride a hoverboard, you need to weigh at least about 45 pounds, and usually, they have a weight limit of about 300 pounds that riders should not exceed. It’s not like someone weighing less than 45 pounds can’t ride on it; the problem is that the board’s pressure-sensitive pads won’t correctly detect the person’s weight. Therefore, keeping a good balance could be a huge obstacle and increase the risk of injury.
Legal or illegal?
After several accidents, some even fatal, many states and countries have concluded banning hoverboards in public places. It might be illegal for you to ride your hoverboard in the park, so make sure it is not forbidden in your country or state before paying your money.
Conclusion
Hoverboard-related injuries are mainly bruises and bumps, which you can easily minimize using proper safety equipment. Last but not least, before buying a board for yourself or a child, check if it is UL 2272 certified or not; after all, none of us want to get blown up.
To conclude this article, we would like to say that if your child is under 8 years old, don’t give them a hoverboard because they wouldn’t meet the age requirements. And if they have balance problems, you shouldn’t even think of giving them one at an early age. After reading this article, we hope you will consider all the aforementioned factors and decide.
Finally, here’s an amateur video of Melinda to enjoy, showing no upper age limit for hoverboards.
Are hoverboards still catching fire?
You should know that the hoverboards that caught fire were not “UL” certified.
We advise you not to buy any of them from a dodgy online retailer, as they are more likely to explode. Instead, buy from trusted manufacturers. Although now, hoverboards must be certified to UL 2272, or they will not be allowed to be brought into the United States.