Hoverboards Illegal On The Streets Of NYC
One of (if not the) most popular trends of the past year has been the hoverboard. Since the advent of the electronic scooter, everyone from celebrities to folks around the way have grabbed hoverboards and made various recordings of themselves hovering around the house or down the street. Some have ended in calamity. However, the NYPD has assumed the role as “fun police” after a recent, now-deleted tweet from the 26th Precinct reading, “Be advised that the electric #hoverboard is illegal as per NYC Admin. Code 19-176.2.”
Though the tweet has been deleted, it has been confirmed that riding a hoverboard on the streets of NYC is illegal, and punishable by a fine of $500. Pix11 News reports:
Code 19-176.2, though, defines the said motorized scooter as having “handlebars” and “capable of exceeding fifteen miles per hour.”
It doesn’t really apply to the hoverboard because it doesn’t have a handlebar and travels 6 miles per hour.
Though not formally on the books, hoverboards join the ranks of the self balancing Segway, as well as mini bikes, off-road motorcycles, go-karts, golf carts and motor-assisted bicycles as not street legal. According to ABC 7, the Department of Transportation has categorized hoverboards as motor vehicles that cannot be registered by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles.
With this announcement, New York City joins the United Kingdom, which has banned hoverboard use in public nationally. This revelation should also have an effect on hoverboard sales right before the holiday season, as gifters will not want to buy something for someone that will get them in trouble.
