In September 2021 we ran a hoverboard safety statistics survey to a population of people in the USA using Google Surveys. The goal was to identify how dangerous hoverboards are, what makes hoverboards dangerous and the conditions in which people feel safe riding hoverboards.
Question #1: How dangerous are hoverboards?
According to respondents 22.8% believe hoverboards are average (5 out of 10) on the danger scale. 19.5% feel hoverboards are most dangerous (10 out of 10), followed by 15.7% who believe they are very dangerous (8 out of 10). The majority of respondents consider hoverboards to be high danger.
| Hoverboard Danger Rating | Percent of Respondents |
| 1 (least dangerous) | 3.9% |
| 2 | 2.4% |
| 3 | 6.7% |
| 4 | 5.4% |
| 5 | 22.8% |
| 6 | 10.4% |
| 7 | 9.7% |
| 8 | 15.7% |
| 9 | 3.5% |
| 10 (most dangerous) | 19.5% |
Question #2: What makes hoverboards dangerous?
53.5% of respondents said difficulty controlling a hoverboard was considered the primary factor that makes hoverboards dangerous. This was followed by Stability at 44.5% and High Speed at 32.7%.
22.8% of respondents felt that none of the items listed contributed to the danger of a hoverboard. Our survey questions did not include getting electrocuted or burned by a battery fire, which have occurred with hoverboards.
| Hoverboard Danger Factors | Percent of Respondents |
| Difficult to control | 53.5% |
| Stability | 44.5% |
| High Speed | 32.7% |
| Motor Strength | 9.5% |
| Vibration | 7.4% |
| None of the above | 22.8% |
Question #3: Riding a hoverboard is more dangerous than:
With this question we had respondents place a hoverboard on danger spectrum along with other modes of transportation.
| Riding a hoverboard is more dangerous than: | Percent of Respondents |
| Walking | 47.6% |
| Bicycling | 33.2% |
| Running | 32.1% |
| Skateboarding | 25.2% |
| Driving a car | 17.3% |
| Riding a motorcycle or scooter | 11.8% |
| None of the above | 26% |
Question #4: What weather conditions is it safe to ride a hoverboard in?
Most respondents (56.3%) believe it’s safe to ride a hoverboard in sunny weather. Just 1.5% think it’s safe to ride a hoverboard in the rain.
Interestingly, 36.5% of respondents apparently believe riding a hoverboard is unsafe in any weather conditions.
| Safe weather to ride a hoverboard | Percent of Respondents |
| Sun | 56.3% |
| Wind | 7.5% |
| Snow and Ice | 3.7% |
| Fog | 2.7% |
| Rain or Sleet | 1.5% |
| None of the above | 36.5% |
Question #5: What surfaces is it safe to ride a hoverboard on?
49.8% of respondents believe it’s safe to ride a hoverboard on the sidewalk or concrete. 40.2% think it’s safe on the street or asphalt. 17.9% consider riding a hoverboard safe on wood such as a boardwalk or ramp. Only 2.8% of respondents consider it safe to ride a hoverboard in the mud.
| Safe surfaces to ride a hoverboard | Percent of Respondents |
| Sidewalk / Concrete | 49.8% |
| Street / Asphalt | 40.2% |
| Wood / Ramp | 17.9% |
| Dirt / Gravel | 5.7% |
| Snow and Ice | 3.0% |
| Mud | 2.8% |
| None of the above | 27.1% |
Survey Methodology
Our survey was conducted using Google Surveys and included male and female respondents of all ages and income distributions located in the United States.
