After $2 million dollars in damage since Dec. 1, safety agency urges makers of self-balancing scooters to make sure their products meet voluntary standards
February 19, 2016
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sent a letter Friday to manufacturers of self-balancing scooters urging them to comply with voluntary standards.
The commission said self-balancing scooters that don’t meet voluntary safety standards pose an unreasonable risk of fire to consumers.
From Dec. 1 through Feb. 17, the commission received reports from consumers in 24 states of 52 self-balancing scooter fires resulting in more than $2 million in property damage, including the destruction of two homes and a car.
The commission said it believes that many of the reported incidents, and the related unreasonable risk of injuries and deaths associated with fires in these products, would be prevented if all such products were manufactured in compliance with the voluntary safety standards.
It said if its staff finds self-balancing scooters being imported to the United States that don’t meet the voluntary standards, it may detain or seize them. If such scooters are found in the country, the agency said it may seek a recall of them.
The commission urged manufacturers to review their products and ensure that all self-balancing scooters comply with voluntary safety standards.
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