February 16, 2016
A piece of legislation designed to decrease incidents of children hurting themselves on hoverboards in Philly passed committee in City Council Tuesday.
CBSPhilly reports the bill now heads to full Council -- where it is expected to pass -- after testimony was heard from emergency room doctors and police.
.@phillypolice rep calls hoverboard safety requirements in bill no. 160008 "common sense."
— PHLCouncil (@PHLCouncil) February 16, 2016
Councilman Bill Greenlee introduced the legislation last month after saying he was alarmed by a number of incidents in which young people injured themselves on the devices.
The legislation requires children 12 and under who are operating a hoverboard to wear a helmet, knee and elbow pads and wrist guards.
It also imposes a $25 fine on those caught violating the safety regulations. Greenelee said Jefferson University Hospital's emergency room had reported seven bone fractures in less than two days from incidents on hoverboards.
“I was shocked by the number of stories I heard around the holidays of people, both adults and children, sustaining serious injuries from falling off a hoverboard," he said in a press release introducing the bill.
Greenlee explained the bill in more detail in a previous interview with FOX29's Mike Jerrick, who does his best FOX News anchor impression.
Several colleges, including Temple University, have banned the devices due to safety concerns. Reports of hoverboards catching fire have popped up across the county.
Hoverboards have also been the subject of several thefts and robberies across the city.
