The Hoverboard has become a huge phenomenon that is a popular Christmas gift this year. But, these self-balancing scooters have become extremely dangerous to the point where Amazon has removed them from their online store.

A Hoverboard is a self-balancing motorized transporter that moves with subtle shifts in a person’s weight. No, they don’t actually hover above the ground. However, they do cost between 200 and 700 dollars. They have become extremely popular with celebrities including Justin Bieber, Chris Brown and Kylie Jenner riding their boards on social media.

Last month, the state of New York made riding Hoverboards in public areas illegal. But that was before the real danger of the boards became known. Recently, the Hoverboards have been on the news every night because they tend to catch fire and sometimes, explode.

It is believed that many of the boards do not have compliant UK plugs, which may lead to overheating the board. Also, some of the Hoverboard’s chargers, cables, and batteries don’t even meet safety standards.

Carol Helen Garrett, a National Trading Standards principal officer said: “The main hazard is in the board itself. The cut-off switch which should activate when the lithium battery is fully charged often doesn’t work. That means that the battery continues to charge, it overheats and there’s a significant risk of an explosion or fire, which is going to have devastating consequences and we have seen that in recent reports.”

So far this year, there have been only approximately eleven known cases of a Hoverboard catching fire and/or exploding in America. But the world is being very precautious about buying a board. In fact, most retailers have seen their sales plummet this Holiday season. Even the biggest online retailer, Amazon, will not sell any more Hoverboards because it puts their customers at risk.

Even though the Hoverboards have become extremely popular in today’s society, they are unsafe and are very risky. If you have or are thinking about buying a board, make sure the company is reputable. Check every plug and outlet before riding to ensure the Hoverboard does not explode under your feet.