As if they haven’t already gotten a bad rap, hoverboards are now the being targeted by China, or more specifically Beijing and Shanghai. Both cities have just updated their road traffic laws, banning both hoverboards and Segways from all roads and bike lanes.
Riding your hoverboard or Segway in Beijing will cost you a measly $1.50, which isn’t so bad compared Shanghai’s $3 fine for riding in the bike lane and $7.50 fine for hoverboarding on the road.
Hoverboarding isn’t completely outlawed however. People are free to use their hoverboards on sidewalks, though this may not be too safe seeing how pavements are often uneven or are missing broken slabs.
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This move was made due to the amount of electric scooters holding up traffic and causing accidents on the road. It’s easy to see why these devices have become so popular since they’re so accessible to the general public.
These devices have gotten very popular in the past year, but they’ve also been scrutinized before this for safety issues like spontaneous combustion and general safeness. Whether this move improves the situation or just makes it worse has yet to be seen.