The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has issued a Ministerial Decree to organize the sale of the electric device known as “Hover Board”, emphasizing that this device is dangerous, and it is not considered as a child's toy, since it is a risk to the lives of children, and it is proved to cause serious injuries.
Meanwhile, the said decree limited the sale and import of the Hover Board on the sport shops only, and to be prohibited in markets and toy stores.
The above mentioned decree aims to ensure the conformity of these devices to the standards and safety requirements, to provide the necessary protection for the consumers, to ensure as well the quality of imported products and to hold the importer responsible of such products. The said decree compelled the importer or the agent to print their names on the imported devices in non-removable way to identify the responsible party for any harmful device.
In addition, the said decree obliged the shops to provide an invoice containing information on the seller and importer, as well as providing a product warranty for two years.
Based on this decree, MCI will implement inspection tours early next month on all markets and shops.
MCI would like to ask all consumers to be cautious and not to buy any Hover Board from street vendors or any unknown party, who do not provide invoices or warranty, also keeping the Purchasing Bill is very important.
MCI would like to emphasize as well that many international consumer protection bodies and control authorities are seeking to avoid the risks of this new technology by developing technical specifications for such items. All parties agree on the importance of dealing with this technology with caution. The Hover Board is not considered a child's toy, and it is not recommended for those under 16 years, and the most dangerous element of this smart scooter is the lithium battery, which caused many cases of ignition and fires. To avoid these situations, it is recommended not to leave the scooter in charging mode during sleeping, as well as not to be recharged after using directly, due to the over- heat of batteries, especially if such batteries are sub-standard, it is recommended to leave the battery to cool and then to be recharged.
Commitment to safety measures, such as wearing a helmet, hands and feet pads, is of high importance.