Hoverboards seem to be a hot topic right now, and all the kids want one. You might be wondering why we decided to create a hoverboard safety guide because the obvious thing to do would be to wear a helmet, right? While researching our best hoverboard, off-road hoverboard, and hoverboard go-kart articles, we noticed some things that we, as parents, should be aware of, aside from the most common falls and scratches that all kids seem to get.
Our Hoverboard Safety Tips
Practice before you hit the streets. The best way to stay safe and unharmed is to be confident when riding. You need to know how to ride your hoverboard; you need to be able to mount and dismount successfully without falling and control the speed and direction of the hoverboard.
Wear a helmet and pads: Head and back injuries are the most common injuries when using a hoverboard. We recommend padding up until your kids become confident, skilled, or self-aware enough to avoid these injuries.
Don’t hover alone: We don’t recommend beginners trying to hoverboard on their lonesome. Getting on and off the board can be tricky until you get the hang of it. A parent or older sibling should always be around to help the younger children to climb on and off safely. In addition to supervision, consider providing access to a sturdy padded railing they can hold onto to help them climb on and off.
Always purchase your hoverboard from a well-known brand or manufacturer. Unfortunately, there are a lot of copycat brands out there trying to make a profit off the trend by offering unsafe products. Reputable brands will offer products that have been tried and tested to meet the US regulations to become UL2272 Certified.
Always check the battery level before using. We know this sounds silly. But a hoverboard that runs out of battery life while in use is a dangerous one. It will shut down completely with your child on board and won’t move any further while your little one is sent on a forward tumble.
Avoid rough terrain. Unless your child is very good at balancing or has an off-road hoverboard. Avoid uneven terrain – cobblestone areas, bricked pavements, etc. Rough terrain could make the hoverboard less stable and more difficult for your child to remain balanced. If you do not have a hoverboard designed for rough or off-road terrain, keep your child on indoor terrain, level sidewalks, and roads without potholes.
Understand the hoverboard regulations of your state. Different states have different regulations regarding hoverboards or electric scooters. Be sure you can own a hoverboard in your state and where and when your child is allowed to use the hoverboard.
Teach your child the basic road rules. Hoverboards may be permitted to ride on the streets, depending on your state. If this is the case, make sure your child is fully aware of the cars around them and understands the basic road rules and the areas where they are allowed to ride. The basic rules they should understand are who has the right of way, how stop signs and intersections work, how pedestrian crossings work, etc.
Remind your child that a hoverboard is not a skateboard. Attempting impressive tricks on a hoverboard will result in less than impressive results. If tricks are something your child is interested in or likes to do, consider a skateboard instead. A skateboard is designed for tricks. They’re light and inexpensive compared to hoverboards and have durable parts made for tricks. Hoverboards are designed to remain on the ground at all times, with no tricks.
Prepare for night rides. If your child is going to ride in the dark, or low light times, ensure they are dressed in brightly colored and reflective clothing and that the hoverboard has reflective strips or lights on it.
Avoid harsh weather. A hoverboard is not a good toy for wet climates or overly hot climates. Most drones are not waterproof or resistant. And in hot climates, there is a risk for the hoverboard to overheat faster.
Don’t exceed the weight limit. The weight limit is in place to prevent the motor and battery from overworking and overheating. Every hoverboard will have a different weight limit; please read the manual to understand the weight limit of your hoverboard.
Basic First Aid
With boisterous children, we recommend having a first aid kit at home to treat any minor injuries or stabilize the serious ones while waiting for an ambulance or going to the doctor. With a hoverboard comes three main areas of injury – abrasions, sprains, and broken limbs.
Abrasions:
With abrasions, the most important thing is to clean the wound. Make sure to thoroughly clean out all the small stones and dirt. The best way to do that would be to take a piece of gauze or cotton wipe, apply antiseptic or soap water to it, and wipe the wound from the middle outwards using a new section of the cloth for every wipe. Rinse the wound following the same method. Leave the wound open. Abrasions are shallow skin wounds and need to dry out.
The most important thing to do with minor cuts is to stop the bleeding. After cleaning the wound with an antiseptic, apply gentle pressure with a piece of gauze and bandage or plaster it down to slow down the bleeding. If the cut has a relatively large object in it, like a piece of glass. Do not remove the glass; the object slows down the blood flow, and removing it could be very dangerous. Instead, phone 911 and await instructions from them.
Sprains:
You can identify a sprained ankle or wrist when there is swelling and bruising around the joint area. An increased blood flow causes the injury to swell up; keeping your limb elevated to encourage the blood to flow back to the rest of your body will help ease the swelling and discomfort. Put ice in a cloth or plastic bag, and apply it to your injury in intervals. Do not apply it directly to your skin; you could get ice burn.
Keep the injury compressed in a brace or bandage. To make sure you haven’t wrapped your injury too tightly, pinch your fingernails or toenails until they are white. As the blood flows back, it should slowly change back to pink. If it takes more than 5 seconds to change back to pink, your bandage is wrapped too tightly.
Fractures:
The main goal with fractures is to stabilize the injury until the ambulance arrives or you arrive at the hospital. If you suspect the injury is a fracture, do not pull on it or try to straighten it. Instead, create a splint from anything solid, straight, and strong to stabilize the fracture. Tie the splint to the limb with bandages or cloth. But be sure not to fasten the bandage over the injury; try to do it on either side of the injury. Keep the wound elevated with a sling or pillow while traveling to the hospital.
What Should You Keep in the First Aid Kit?
It is always handy to keep a first aid kit on hand when you have children. Even for minor wounds, the patterned plasters make all the difference. Here is a checklist for a basic first aid kit:
The list of safety equipment is very similar to that of a bike or scooter. A helmet is always needed to protect our little ones. It’s the most critical piece of equipment. Protective padding comes in handy to protect your joints, like your wrists, elbows, and knees.
Wearing proper shoes will protect your toes and feet from getting scrapped if your little one falls. If your child is a beginner and hesitant about falling, consider dressing them in long-sleeved tops and pants to cover their soft skin.
Another piece of equipment to think about is reflective strips and clothing. Depending on where your child will be riding their hoverboard, it’s essential to make sure they’re visible to drivers.
Habit Worthy Practices
Some practices should become a habit when owning a hoverboard. These habits can help increase the hoverboard’s lifespan and ensure the play remains safe.
Only use the original charger or a brand-approved charger. Always use the recommended charger. The charger can affect the battery life, performance, and longevity. Using the incorrect charger or a rip-off charger can damage the battery and potentially be a safety risk.
Try to charge your hoverboard in an open area, away from anything flammable. These products go through rigorous testing, so this should be highly unlikely, but in the case of any spark or surge occurring. Keeping your hoverboard away from anything flammable could prevent a major crisis.
Do not overcharge your hoverboard. Most hoverboards take two to four hours to charge. Try to charge it when you’re at home and nearby. Overcharging could lead to the battery overheating, which could cause sparks or combustion.
Do not charge overnight. The reasoning behind this is the same as above. Leaving it to charge overnight could overheat the battery and create combustion while you’re asleep.
Know where all your fire extinguishers are. This might be going overboard, but the worst situations always happen when least expected. To just be prepared for the worst, we recommend that you and all your family members know where the fire extinguishers in the house are located.
If you see any smoke or smell anything strange, stop using your hoverboard immediately. Smoke and strange smells are big safety hazards. It could mean the device is overheating or leaking battery acid. In this situation, stop using it immediately and take your hoverboard to get repaired or replaced immediately.
Use your hoverboard with care. This is not a device designed to sustain major or ongoing bumps and scrapes. Frequent bumping can damage the separator sheets within the battery packing, resulting in a fire.
Don’t overuse your hoverboard. Prolonged use can damage the battery. The battery could overheat, which will affect its performance and lifespan. Please remember that an overheating battery is a dangerous one. The recommended amount of use a day is four to five hours depending on the model.
