• The use of hoverboards in public places is now banned in Dubai
• Before, the use of the self-balancing scooter is banned only in shopping malls
• The new rule was imposed after a Filipino was killed while using a hoverboard last month
The self-balancing scooters, more popularly known as hoverboards, have been banned in all public areas in Dubai following a Filipino’s death while using it.
Mariam Al Serkal, senior web reporter for the Gulf News, quoted Sultan Al Suwaidi, deputy head of the municipality’s Public Health and Safety Department, as saying that hoverboards are now prohibited in shopping malls, residential complexes, sidewalks, roads and other public places.
Earlier, the use of these toys was prohibited only in shopping malls.
The new rule banning the self-balancing scooter in all public places was passed after a Filipino man was killed when he hit a lamppost while riding his hoverboard at the parking area of Mushrif Park last January 5.
Under the new rule, Al Suwaidi said hoverboard users must wear protective gears such as helmets, gloves, elbows and knee pads. Children who use the popular toy are now required to be under the supervision of an adult.
Violators of the new rule will have their device, also known as “balance wheels”, confiscated.
“We also addressed the issue of how hoverboards should be used because otherwise, they posed a risk to other people in the vicinity,” he said; adding that they should be charged as instructed by the manufacturing company, and should not be in contact with flammable material.
“The new rules clearly state that hoverboards should be used by one person at a time. People who have a high safety risk, such as those who are pregnant or who have fractured bones, should not be using it either,” he added.
Owners of hoverboards in Dubai can only use them in designated places such as cycling tracks in parks and anywhere else where skateboards and bicycles are allowed.
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