Growing concerns about hoverboard-related incidents have led Ohio University to ban the two-wheeled devices in all university buildings.
Ohio University student Nate Doughty broke his left wrist in October when he fell off of his hoverboard while riding near Nelson Dining Hall.
Doughty, a freshman studying journalism, is just one of many students on campus who will no longer be able to use their hoverboards, also known as hands-free segways, on campus. OU now prohibits the use and storage of hoverboards in all campus buildings.
“They’re a lot of fun … but there is a risk with them when you ride them,” Doughty said. “It’s not really a safe thing to ride.”
The decision comes after growing concerns from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission surrounding the safety of hoverboards. Many of those concerns follow reports of the personal transportation devices catching on fire.
“It’s really driven through the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and so they’ve gone through and done a lot of research and were investigating different hoverboards and different issues with the batteries,” Jeffrey Campbell, interim associate vice president for Risk Management and Safety, said. “I don’t think they have a firm handle on it yet as to what’s going exactly wrong, but there are videos out there showing these things catching on fire and everything.”
Campbell said the ban is out of “caution and caring” for the safety and well-being of students on OU’s campus.
Because the hoverboards come with risks such as fires caused by battery packs and the risk of injury through falls, OU’s Office of Risk Management and Safety has also issued a safety alert.
“Some of these things have actually caught on fire when they are not even in use, when they are just being stored and we definitely don’t want to have a residence hall with one of these units being stored where there is a potential fire issue that could cause injury to somebody or even worse,” Campbell said.
Doughty said OU’s ban on hoverboards is precautionary.
“I wouldn’t want to be in a dorm where there could be a chance that there is a faulty hoverboard,” Doughty said.
He compares hoverboards to Heelys, the shoes with wheels in the sole.
“You weren’t a cool kid unless you had (Heelys), but then people got injured on them,” Doughty said.
Ricky Weber, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering, said he rode his hoverboard everyday around campus after receiving it partway through Fall Semester.
While Weber said he understands why the hoverboards have been banned at OU, he doesn’t entirely agree with the decision.
“I feel that the university made a safe call, but a sad one for people like me,” Weber said in an email.
By banning hoverboards, OU joins many universities including Ohio State University and Bowling Green State University, who have already prohibited the mode of transportation on their campuses.
OU administrators say there is a chance the ban could be changed in the future.
“It really depends on how the research from the Consumer Product Safety Commission comes back,” Campbell said. “I think it’s really out of caution and caring for life and property that we’re trying to be proactive and reactive to something happening.”
Campbell added that the rule won't be strictly enforced.
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"There’s no hoverboard police," Campbell said. "What we're doing is asking people to respect life and property and care about their fellow student or fellow staff.
Weber said he thinks he will still ride his blue hoverboard around campus.
“As for me, I will probably still ride mine on campus,” he said. “It's the whole reason why I bought the dang thing.”
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