Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2020-2024, Hoverboards And Powered Skateboards ranks #213 of 838 by danger score (39/100) at ER-volume #269 of 838 (23,187/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #213
- danger rank of 838
- #269
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 39/100
- danger score
- 23,187/yr
- estimated ER visits (avg)
Danger score combines injury volume, hospitalization, fatality, and five-year trend. ER volume is the average annual NEISS estimate alone. Rank 1 is highest on each list.
Where this category's danger score sits nationally
Danger score (39/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
39 Around the middle lower than 25% of 838 product categories
scored CPSC product categories, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more product categories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source CPSC NEISS, PlainSafety danger-score model · 2024
Composite verdict
Composite Safety Score: 78/100
One verdict blending 3 independently-sourced dimensions from two separate CPSC systems, each benchmarked against all 838 scored product categories by percentile rather than raw value, so no single huge-volume category can dominate the scale.
| Dimension | Value | National percentile | Weight applied | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) | 8 | 66th | 41% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 23,187 | 84th | 35% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | N/A | N/A | redistributed | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 178 | 91st | 24% | CPSC SaferProducts.gov public incident report count |
5-year injury trend has no recorded value for this category; its weight was redistributed proportionally across the dimensions that do, rather than treated as zero risk.
Methodology: each dimension is ranked against the full population's p10/p25/p50/p75/p90 breakpoints and interpolated to a 0-100 percentile; the composite is the weighted average of available percentiles. See methodology for the full benchmark table.
Where 115,964 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 5025. Segments sum to 115,964 - a body-map mix, not a danger score or ER-volume rank.
Two danger lenses
Same-group peer scores and this product's dial
The bars compare PlainSafety danger scores inside the Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment group (same CPSC NEISS extract). The dial is this product's score alone on the Low/Moderate/High bands. Do not read a peer bar as an ER-visit count.
Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment danger scores
How this 39/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for hoverboards and powered skateboards - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 23,187 ER visits/yr High volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 7.6% Above median admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.06% Above-typical fatality rate
- 5-year trendN/A
Band labels compare this category against the corpus of 838 scored CPSC product categories, see the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Across the 5-year NEISS window from 2020 to 2024, injury counts for hoverboards and powered skateboards are stable over the most recent five-year window, with the busiest year on record being 2020 (29,926 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2024 (16,346 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is fracture to the wrist, accounting for approximately 14,595 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (12,428 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 67,826 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 7.6% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.06%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 178 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how hoverboards and powered skateboards fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2020–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 1,917 | 2,032 | |
| 5-14 | 33,308 | 34,510 | |
| 15-24 | 8,525 | 3,221 | |
| 25-34 | 7,585 | 5,647 | |
| 35-44 | 5,794 | 3,159 | |
| 45-54 | 3,146 | 2,258 | |
| 55-64 | 1,775 | 1,563 | |
| 65-74 | 678 | 721 | |
| 75+ | 90 | 0 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Arm | Fracture | |
| Elbow | Fracture | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Shoulder | Fracture | |
| Elbow | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Wrist | Other | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
10YOM LEFT WRIST INJIURY, STATES HE WAS ON HIS HOVER BOARD WHEN HE FELL OFF ONTO HIS OUTSTRETCHED LEFT HAND. C/O PAIN TO PROXIMAL WRIST. DX: LEFT FOREARM FRACTURE
9 YOF FELL OFF A HOVER BOARD. DX FOOT CONTUSION
9 YOM RIDING HOVERBOARD FELL ONTO FLOOR DX CLOSED TORUS FX DISTAL END RADIUS
25 YOM. LOW BACK & KNEE PAIN AFTER PT WAS RIDING A ELETRIC MOTORIZED SKATEBOARD & WAS HIT BY MOTOR VEHICLE. DX: LUMBAR CONTUSION; SPRAIN OF MEDIAL COLLATERAL LIGAMENT OF LT KNEE
62 YOF RIDING A HOVERBOARD AT HOME WHEN THE BOARD GOT STUCK ON SOMETHING AND SHE FELL FORWARD HITTING HER RIBS ON THE EDGE OF A DRESSER. DX RIGHT 9-11 RIB FX
7YOM PATIENT WAS RIDING HIS HOVERBOARD WHEN HE FELL ONTO HIS BOTTOM, HE BEGAN HAVE LEFT GLUTEAL PAIN. DX: BUTTOCK INJURY - PAIN
5YOM FELL OFF OF A HOVERBOARD LANDING ONTO LEFT ELBOW DX: FRACTURED ELBOW
11YOM FELL OFF A HOVERBOARD DX: STRAINED LEFT WRIST
5YOF FELL OFF A HOVERBOARD DX: FRACTURE LEFT FIFTH FINGER
32YOM HAD A FALL OFF OF A HOVERBOARD LANDING ONTO LEFT ELBOW DX: LEFT ELBOW PAIN
13YOM FELL OFF A HOVERBOARD DX: FX LEFT WRIST
66YOM WAS TRYING TO RIDE A HOVERBOARD AND FELL OFF DX FRACTURED LEFT HIP
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The Hover-1 Superfly (1) does not power off completely and keeps going and (2) suddenly stops without warning/beep, which has caused my son injuries. Have contacted Hover-1 by email in the past... their website is faulty.. and calling them only provides a brief voice message then shuts off, not allowing customer to speak with a representative or leave a message.
My daughter was riding a one wheel motorized scooter on a flat smooth road and it abruptly stopped while she was accelerating. It sent her hurling through the air causing her to land on her shoulder and break her collarbone. The also suffered a wide range of scrapes and scratches on her knees, hands and back.
I am reporting a serious safety issue with the Onewheel, a personal electric mobility device manufactured by Future Motion. I experienced two significant crashes while using the product, resulting in physical injuries and loss of confidence in the products safety. **Incident 1:** I was riding the Onewheel over wet concrete, navigating shallow puddles as intended for outdoor use. While traveling at approximately 15 mph, the boards self-balancing system suddenly stopped working. The nose of the board dove into the ground, throwing me forward onto my right side. I sustained road rash on my leg, hand, arm, and shoulder, and a broken arm. My helmet also cracked upon impact. After the crash, the board was unresponsive and had condensation inside the casing, indicating water had entered the control board. The Onewheel is marketed as an outdoor product, and failure in such conditions raises serious safety concerns. **Incident 2:** After paying $180 to ship the board back to Future Motion for repairs, I received it and rode it once. During that ride, while stopped at a red light, the board unexpectedly accelerated on its own without any input from me. There was no haptic buzz, pushback, or other indication that the board would accelerate. This malfunction threw me off the board, re-injuring my already broken arm and furthering my distrust in the product. I had only ridden the board a short distance after receiving it from Future Motions repair shop. **Product Information:** The product is a personal electric mobility device known as a "Onewheel," which is designed for outdoor use on various terrains. It was being used by me, an experienced rider, in everyday outdoor conditions. **Injuries:** Both incidents resulted in physical injuries. The first incident caused road rash and a broken arm, while the second crash reactivated my previous injuries. The second incident highlights an ongoing issue with the products reliability, posing a serious risk of fur
Hoveboard Fire
Hello. I recently received an email from Future Motion, Inc. regarding a voluntary recall affecting their OneWheel devices. Future Motion contacted me because I am a registered owner. For me, this is too long in the making. I was riding my OneWheel back in the spring/summer of 2017, in Cleveland, Ohio, when the software failed and pitched me off the board onto cement at a high speed (probably nearing the 20 mph limit on the device). I was wearing full safety gear (helmet, elbow pads, knee pads), so luckily I did not sustain any major head injuries (I got a concussion). Unfortunately, I did suffer a torn rotator cuff, torn biceps tendon, and a bone fleck in my upper arm. I required surgery at my local [REDACTED] Medical Center to repair the injuries. I had complications from the surgery and as a result I now have a partially disabled left shoulder, reduced quality of life (my ability to do weight training, ordinary lifts, etc.), and large surgical scars.
9/25/2020: The longbard was being charged and may have been connected for more than an hour. His kids and wife were home and caught the incident when it happened. The family used a chemical fire extinguisher to put out the fames, then they placed the board outside. The damage was limited to the board itself. The sent an email to the firm over the weekend and he received one back on 9/28/2020. The firm responded with a request for pictures and asked if the board may have been wet, while it was charging. It was not wet, while being charged and the consumer noted that there were no instructions with the board when it was received.
Onewheel suddenly stopped ejecting rider
During a ride on a Onewheel Pint, the braking function ceased to work and simultaneously the board sped up to maximum speed. The board began to wobble and I fell into the street sustaining multiple cuts, scrapes and bruises as well as an avulsion fracture to my upper humerus.
Showing 8 of 178 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to hoverboards and powered skateboards on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Hoverboards And Powered Skateboards: cross-group products nearest on danger score (39/100), estimated annual ER visits (23,187/yr), and hospitalization share (7.6%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.
Similar danger score
Nearest cross-group products by PlainSafety danger score (100-point scale).
Similar ER visit volume
Nearest cross-group products by NEISS estimated annual ER visits.
- Mopeds Or Power-assisted Cycles Sports Protective Equipment & Gear 23,152/yr
- Playground Equipment, Not Specified Sports Protective Equipment & Gear 23,598/yr
- Other Playground Equipment Sports Protective Equipment & Gear 22,654/yr
- Amusement Attractions (including Rides) Sports & Recreation Equipment 23,743/yr
Similar hospitalization rate
Nearest cross-group products by % of NEISS ER visits resulting in hospital admission.
Related Products in Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment
Read with this product
About this data
CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports form the basis of this page. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments.
According to PlainSafety's CPSC NEISS corpus ranking, Hoverboards And Powered Skateboards ranks #213 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #269 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does hoverboards and powered skateboards rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, hoverboards and powered skateboards ranks #213 by PlainSafety danger score (39/100) and #269 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (23,187/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from hoverboards and powered skateboards?
The most common injury is fracture to the wrist, accounting for approximately 14,595 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from hoverboards and powered skateboards increasing or decreasing?
No trend data.
Who is most at risk for hoverboards and powered skateboards injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 67,826 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by hoverboards and powered skateboards?
Of all ER visits involving hoverboards and powered skateboards, approximately 7.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (92.4%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with hoverboards and powered skateboards?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
PlainSafety is rendered directly from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall and incident records, no number is typed in by an editor. Product recall timelines and hazard labels are drawn from CPSC recall records for this product. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.