If you haven’t just come out from under a rock, you might have tried or at least heard of the ‘new cool’ that is, hoverboarding and might also be aware of how hazardous hoverboarding can turn out to be. Hence, below are a few safety measures you can follow to be safe when you step on a hoverboard.
1. Wear the Right Safety Gear
Hoverboards can malfunction sometimes, and you might end up falling face first on the ground. Therefore, make sure that you wear a helmet to avoid head injuries; knee pads, wrist guards and elbow pads to keep your joints safe; right shoes and preferably a mouth guard when you are about to glide out.
2. Know Your Track
When you set out on streets to experience the thrill of hoverboarding, be vigilant, and look for the the cracks and crevices on the track, as one crack on the street can cost you a life. If there is a track you usually ride upon, remember the places where there are deformities or bumps on it and stay away from them for a smoother ride.
3. Calibrate Your Hoverboard
For calibrating your hoverboard, lift the tires upwards, apply pressure on the foot-pads with your palm and check if the wheels are working fine without shaking, if yes, then you are good to go.
4. Stand in the Middle of The Board
Yes, this might sound obvious, but many accidents occur because people are not able to control the hoverboard because they either stand on their toes or heels. But the right technique to stand on a hoverboard is have your foot in the middle of the board, with your feet apart from each other.
5. Disembark by Stepping Back
Many novice riders end up injured when hoverboarding because they tend to step forward in order to get off it, which is not the right way. The right technique is to step backwards as it does not send any signals to sensors to move and you stay safe.
6. When You Ride at Night
The foremost tip would be to avoid riding at nights, especially on hoverboards which do not have in-built LED lights. Then again, if you do, make sure that you are wearing the right safety gear, stay away from heavy traffic and avoid riding on uneven terrain. In addition to this, you can also try wearing white clothes and light-up shoes, which will be more visible to passers-by.
7. Practice and Become Perfect!
If you actually want to rule the roads on a hoverboard, practice. Yes, the more you practice, the better you will become at controlling them. Do not hit the busy streets without becoming accustomed to how the board works otherwise you might create trouble for yourselves and others.
8. Do Not Over-Charge Your Board
Usually the boards take less than a couple of hours to charge fully and that is exactly the time for which you should plug them in. If you leave it plugged in into the board for longer, it will deteriorate the health of the battery; and leaving the board charging overnight can turn out to be extremely hazardous as the battery can catch fire or, worse, there can be a shot-circuit in the wiring of the board.
9. Do Not Experiment with Extreme Terrains
Yes, it is normal to experience a sudden adrenaline rush when you step on an hoverboard for the first time, but it is not advisable to use them as skateboards and try to perform tricks with them or deciding to explore the rough terrain of a forest on them. Even the off-road boards are not designed to manoeuvre in the extreme temperatures and terrains.
10. Look Ahead
As much as your surrounding might tempt you to look at the passers-by, elegant store displays or children playing at the park, don’t let your attention divert and look ahead. As the sensors in hoverboard send a signal to the wheels to run in the direction you lean and if you are looking at your right, it is human tendency to lean in the same direction, due to which you can get off-road or meet an accident.
Above are a few ways you can save yourself from injuries and your board from damage when you step on a hoverboard!