Now that the holidays are ending, many kids, young and young at heart, are busy spending quality time with their gifts. It certainly doesn’t seem that Marty McFly had the same problems with his high-tech hover board as many who are riding them now seem to be experiencing. Warnings from numerous agencies are alerting consumers of the potential dangers of some of the products that may have made their way under your tree.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is now busy investigating some of the dangerous product claims associated with hoverboards, as well as drones. The main focus of their investigation appears to be the connection with lithium batteries.
Devices such as hoverboards, drones, remote-controlled cars, iPads and other items that contain the powerful lithium battery have been connected to numerous fires; leading to serious injuries and property damage. Some retailers like Walmart and Amazon, have pulled hoverboards from their shelves because of their product safety concerns.
All three major airlines, as well as several others, have banned hoverboards from their flights. A Delta representative stated that the problem isn’t the board, but the battery. The airline also believes that the product specs fail to provide adequate information about the size or power of the lithium-ion battery.
Many are asking, what can we do to prevent a fire from occurring? The first thing is to never leave the device unattended while it is charging and if the battery appears damaged, absolutely do not use it. Next, make sure that the directions for the device and battery are followed closely. Last, if the charger you’re about to plug into the device, isn’t the one it came with, do not use it.