UK Bans "hoverboards". Guy finds a loophole

"450X_FTW" (mistermic)
10/16/2015 at 10:51 • Filed to: None

Seriously this person is a genius. And all it took was some cardboard

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DISCUSSION (40)

cazzyodo > 450X_FTW
10/16/2015 at 10:54

Kinja’d?

djmt1 > 450X_FTW
10/16/2015 at 11:02

“Officially banned?” They were never legal in the first place to stop the stupid cunts who ride the things plowing into prams and pensioners.

450X_FTW > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:04

bollox, it’s just a motorized wheelie board with some boot straps attached. What could possibly go wrong?

Mattbob > 450X_FTW
10/16/2015 at 11:04

wait, so thats fine that they are banned, but are bicycles over there plated and insured? “180-year-old Highway Act stating vehicles must be registered and drivers insured...,”

Sam > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:06

If smart people are riding them, they’ll pay attention and make sure not to hit anyone. Unfortunately, there are very few smart people that own them. It’s mostly the same morons that text and drive, just on the sidewalk.

djmt1 > 450X_FTW
10/16/2015 at 11:08

How about flying into a 69 year old disabled man and knocking him onto the ground which resulted with him being stuck there for an hour while the fire brigade was being called out.

As you can probably guess I have a dim view on them and the people who use them thus why there is probably one still deep in a thorn bush whose owner probably regrets being just that little bit too mouthy.

450X_FTW > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:10

Well I don’t live in the city so I don’t have to deal with foot traffic everywhere, thankfully. That crap would get old fast. Just see the humor in it. It’s like taking a beer and putting it in a paper bag to not be “drinking in public”. Nothing to see here officer!

davedave1111 > Mattbob
10/16/2015 at 11:14

Motor vehicles. Which this is, according to the law.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:15

I’m so glad I live in a free country ™ .

djmt1 > Mattbob
10/16/2015 at 11:16

Bicycles are not allowed on the pavement either and self propelled vehicles like bikes and rickshaws don’t need to be registered or insured.

davedave1111 > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:16

“They were never legal in the first place to stop the stupid cunts who ride the things plowing into prams and pensioners.”

Not really. Pretty much the sole reason they’re illegal is that the relevant legislation was drafted to include cars, motorised buggies, etc, and at the time something like this or the Segway wasn’t thought of.

Segways were expensive enough that no-one really cared the law’s a bit out of date. These things are cheap enough that I wouldn’t be too surprised if the law ends up being changed soon.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:17

...unsure if serious. I’m not sure if you’re aware or not, but there are plenty of other moving objects that can hit retirees. Bikes, skateboards, shopping carts, cars.... Are all of them going to be banned because someone could potentially hurt one of the olds with it?

djmt1 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
10/16/2015 at 11:17

Well you known the saying. Freedom isn’t free, unless you’re over 25 years old.

djmt1 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
10/16/2015 at 11:20

Those are not allowed on the pavement either.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:23

Wut? Bikes are only allowed on dirt?

Mercedes Streeter > 450X_FTW
10/16/2015 at 11:23

Actually it’s not a loophole...read the last sentence of the article. What does covering it in a box do? Nothing.

Also, I don’t see why people hate these things...they’re no worse than bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, fixies, or you know, actual cars.

Mattbob > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:24

What do you mean bicycles are not allowed on the pavement? Do you mean the sidewalk?

djmt1 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
10/16/2015 at 11:24

Sidewalk is Americanese for pavement.

Mattbob > davedave1111
10/16/2015 at 11:25

I bet it is going to get a bit more tricky when electric assist bicycles get more popular. I bet this is one of those laws that are enforced only sometimes. Wouldn’t they also have to ban mobility scooters?

djmt1 > Mattbob
10/16/2015 at 11:26

No I mean pavement but in Americanese. Yes, Sidewalk.

Mattbob > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:27

Aren’t the roads also pavement? As in paved.

450X_FTW > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2015 at 11:28

It’s satire. A joke. Same as putting a beer in a paper bag so you can drink in public

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:30

Well that’s just silly. Technically, wouldn’t this make wheel chairs illegal on the sidewalk (pavement is what it’s made out of, not the end product) too?

Mercedes Streeter > 450X_FTW
10/16/2015 at 11:30

Sorry! Satire detector is off because it’s still too early for me @_@

450X_FTW > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2015 at 11:31

East coast time zone, already late enough in the day for me to have some fun

djmt1 > Mattbob
10/16/2015 at 11:33

Yup. My Dad is always correcting me on it as he speaks BBC English but I’ve been saying pavement for ages.

Mattbob > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:35

what is BBC english? Is that just correct english?

davedave1111 > Mattbob
10/16/2015 at 11:38

Bicycles with motor assist, and mobility scooters, are both expressly mentioned in the legislation, and the rules are quite strict.

https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-…

https://www.gov.uk/mobility-scoot…

“I bet this is one of those laws that are enforced only sometimes.”

I’m sure that the electric bike rules are very easy to flout - perfectly legal to have an off-road-only mode on your bike, and a switch for legal on-road mode. Unless you do something really dumb like ride up a hill at 30mph without moving your legs, how’s a policeman even going to know which mode it was in, let alone prove it?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Mattbob
10/16/2015 at 11:38

Pretty sure you’re thinking of American. The English don’t get to set the standards anymore because they’re really just our bitch.

davedave1111 > Mattbob
10/16/2015 at 11:39

“Aren’t the roads also pavement? As in paved.”

You could say that, but generally we refer to paved roads only when talking about unpaved roads. Otherwise, paving is large stones laid down like tiles or similar.

It’s just one of those little things, like the way Americans drive on a parkway and park on a driveway.

djmt1 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
10/16/2015 at 11:40

It’s heavily regulated but of course no ones pays attention to it because no one wants to be the guy lecturing a wheelchair user. Also pavement isn’t the dictionary definition but so many people say it, it has become the norm. It drives my Dad mad but I can’t be asked to learn BBC English, my broken London English is fine.

Mattbob > davedave1111
10/16/2015 at 11:42

interesting.

djmt1 > Mattbob
10/16/2015 at 11:42

Yes.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > djmt1
10/16/2015 at 11:42

How about American instead? It’s like English, but makes sense. We don’t add needless letters to some words (labor, color) and pretend that the middle of other words (Leichester) don’t exist.

Mercedes Streeter > 450X_FTW
10/16/2015 at 11:45

Central...woke up and now I’m at work. At least I can leave diabolically early today :)

Mattbob > davedave1111
10/16/2015 at 11:45

so what is british for driveway?

djmt1 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
10/16/2015 at 11:47

Oh the U argument. Pretty much the only words we don’t pronounce the same but fight to the death over which one is spelt correctly. As for Leicester, I’m not even gonna try and defend that. I’ll just do a Microsoft and blame it on legacy support.

davedave1111 > Mattbob
10/16/2015 at 11:54

Also driveway.

Come to think of it, that’s really not the same kind of thing at all, other than a quirk of language :)

Nicole > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
10/16/2015 at 14:52

Unless you’re in Massachusetts, where we have a Leicester and pronounce it ‘lestah’

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Nicole
10/16/2015 at 15:09

Yeah, there’s a reason it’s in “New England.”