39
CPSC NEISS Data 2020–2024

Hoverboards And Powered Skateboards

Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.

Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment · CPSC Code 5025

No trend data

The verdict

Hoverboards And Powered Skateboards carry a danger score of 39/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 23,187 ER-treated injuries a year that are stable over the most recent five-year window.

39/100
danger score (low risk)
23,187
ER visits per year (avg)
7.6%
end in hospital admission
5-14
most-injured age group

Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 5025 - last data year 2024.

PlainSafety danger score

0/100100/10039/100
PlainSafety danger score

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2024

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 volume23,187 ER visits/yr
  • Severity (hospitalization rate)7.6%
  • Fatality rate0.06%
  • 5-year trendN/A

See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.

What the CPSC Data Shows

Hoverboards And Powered Skateboards (CPSC product code 5025, in the Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment category) generate an estimated 23,187 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 115,935 ER-treated injuries across the 5-year span from 2020 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 39/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts 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 for hoverboards and powered skateboards 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.

23,187
Injuries / Year
7.6%
Hospitalization Rate
0.06%
Fatality Rate

Annual Injury Estimates (2020–2024)

15K20K25K30K35K 20202021202220232024 16K
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Hoverboards And Powered Skateboards, CPSC NEISS

Source: CPSC NEISS national injury estimates As of 2024

Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only

Who Gets Injured?

Age Group Male Female Total
0-4 1,917 2,032 3,949
5-14 33,308 34,510 67,826
15-24 8,525 3,221 11,746
25-34 7,585 5,647 13,232
35-44 5,794 3,159 8,953
45-54 3,146 2,258 5,404
55-64 1,775 1,563 3,338
65-74 678 721 1,399
75+ 90 0 90

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Wrist Fracture 14,595
Head Internal Injury 12,428
Lower Arm Fracture 12,089
Head Concussion 4,182
Wrist Strain, Sprain 4,161
Upper Arm Fracture 4,034
Elbow Fracture 3,484
Face Laceration 3,218
Shoulder Fracture 2,952
Elbow Contusions, Abr. 2,335
Lower Trunk Contusions, Abr. 2,264
Face Contusions, Abr. 2,086
Wrist Other 2,058
Ankle Strain, Sprain 1,975
Lower Trunk Other 1,704

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 90.8% (105,252)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 5.7% (6,655)
Treated And Transferred 1.7% (1,973)
Left Without Being Seen 1.4% (1,661)
Held For Observation 0.3% (368)
Fatality Incl. Doa, Died In Er 0.0% (55)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 10 · Male · Lower Arm · Fracture · 2024

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

Age 9 · Female · Foot · Contusions, Abr. · 2024

9 YOF FELL OFF A HOVER BOARD. DX FOOT CONTUSION

Age 9 · Male · Wrist · Fracture · 2024

9 YOM RIDING HOVERBOARD FELL ONTO FLOOR DX CLOSED TORUS FX DISTAL END RADIUS

Age 25 · Male · Lower Trunk · Contusions, Abr. · 2024

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

Age 62 · Female · Upper Trunk · Fracture · 2024

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

Age 7 · Male · Lower Trunk · Other · 2024

7YOM PATIENT WAS RIDING HIS HOVERBOARD WHEN HE FELL ONTO HIS BOTTOM, HE BEGAN HAVE LEFT GLUTEAL PAIN. DX: BUTTOCK INJURY - PAIN

Age 5 · Male · Elbow · Fracture · 2024

5YOM FELL OFF OF A HOVERBOARD LANDING ONTO LEFT ELBOW DX: FRACTURED ELBOW

Age 11 · Male · Wrist · Strain, Sprain · 2024

11YOM FELL OFF A HOVERBOARD DX: STRAINED LEFT WRIST

Age 5 · Female · Finger · Fracture · 2024

5YOF FELL OFF A HOVERBOARD DX: FRACTURE LEFT FIFTH FINGER

Age 32 · Male · Elbow · Other · 2024

32YOM HAD A FALL OFF OF A HOVERBOARD LANDING ONTO LEFT ELBOW DX: LEFT ELBOW PAIN

Age 13 · Male · Wrist · Fracture · 2024

13YOM FELL OFF A HOVERBOARD DX: FX LEFT WRIST

Age 66 · Male · Lower Trunk · Fracture · 2024

66YOM WAS TRYING TO RIDE A HOVERBOARD AND FELL OFF DX FRACTURED LEFT HIP

Consumer Incident Reports

Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.

9/6/2022 · Injury, Seen by Medical Professional · DGL Group, Ltd. · Illinois

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.

9/5/2023 · Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received · Future Motion · Maryland

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.

9/4/2024 · Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received · Future Motion · North Carolina

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

9/4/2021 · Incident, No Injury · Yongkang Dingchang Industry & Trade Co., Ltd. · New Jersey

Hoveboard Fire

9/29/2023 · Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received · Future Motion · Ohio

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.

9/29/2020 · Incident, No Injury · Ez Skates Co., Ltd · Washington

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.

9/26/2023 · Injury, Seen by Medical Professional · Future Motion · California

Onewheel suddenly stopped ejecting rider

9/22/2024 · Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received · Future Motion · California

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How dangerous are hoverboards and powered skateboards?

Based on 20 years of CPSC data, hoverboards and powered skateboards have a danger score of 39/100 (low risk). An estimated 23,187 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.

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.

Safety Guides

What this means for you

Treat the 39/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.

  • See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
  • Injuries cluster in the 5-14 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
  • Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls

NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.

Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.