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LSU to issue temporary hoverboard ban

8 years 2 months 2 weeks ago Thursday, December 31 2015 Dec 31, 2015 December 31, 2015 4:35 PM December 31, 2015 in News
Source: WBRZ
By: Russell Jones

BATON ROUGE - A university spokesperson said LSU will ban the popular self-balancing scooters, or "hoverboards," both from campus and campus-run housing starting in January.

A notice was initially sent to on-campus students this week with an updated section of the student handbook which bans the battery-powered scooters from university-managed residence halls, apartments, and Greek houses.

"These devices’ batteries can burst into flame–especially while being charged–resulting in a metal fire that can burn with intense heat," said a ResLife spokesperson. "We are not willing to risk your safety and your community’s safety."

LSU spokesperson Ernie Ballard then confirmed a temporary ban will be put in place for the entire campus until adequate safety standards are put into place for all such scooters.

The scooters' popularity exploded in 2015, with many third-party distributors popping up to sell them for $300 to $500. Soon after some scooters also began literally exploding, catching fire and burning down buildings in some cases. Airlines banned the devices, and Amazon pulled them from their digital storefront until safety regulations could be put in place to ensure the devices weren't a danger.

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