To begin with, hoverboards don’t exist, however, that is the most common name used to refer to the self-balancing scooters that is often used by Justin Bieber to propel himself forward. To get a clear idea of what I am talking about here, enter hoverboard into Amazon’s search bar and see what it brings out.
Sometime within the week, the NYPD's 26th Precinct posted a tweet stating saying: "Be advised that the electric hoverboard is illegal as per NYC Admin. Code 19-176.2*."
However, the aforementioned code doesn’t categorically call hoverboards illegal rather, it suggests they are legal:
"For this section, any device that has handle bars is referred to as motorized scooter. Hoverboards do not have handle bars.
"For this section, the name 'motorized scooter' will not incorporate electric powered devices not capable of going beyond 15 MPH" — the hoverboards have a max speed of approximately 6 miles per hour.
Therefore, hoverboards aren’t illegal. It appears that this new technology comes with some complications. An NYPD officer stated earlier this year that on CBS2 that the new technology is not yet well known. Another officer stated that they could be used in parks while another stated that they can be used anywhere. However, they aren’t, irrespective of what is seen on Buzzfeed.
The department of Transportation, NYC has however settled on the grounds that the hoverboards are regarded as illegal when it comes to the rules around them. They are seen as motor vehicles that can’t be registered with the DMV and that implies that it is illegal, although they do not make the list of excessively prohibited vehicles. They are seen as similar to Segways.
The Parks department as well as the NYPD both has the authority to enforce this rule and penalty for going against this could attract a fine of up to $500. Kindly reach out to us and let us know your story if you have ever been busted for using hoverboard.
