Following a national trend, at least 10 New Jersey colleges, including Rutgers University, have implemented full or partial bans on the popular self-balancing scooters. Watch video
Winter break is nearly over at New Jersey's colleges, which means it's time for students to pack their bags, say goodbye to their families -- and leave their hoverboards behind.
Following a national trend, at least a dozen New Jersey colleges, including Rutgers University, have implemented full or partial bans on the popular hoverboard and other self-balancing scooters.
The colleges point to dozens of reported hoverboard fires and say they worry the boards could become a safety hazard on campus.
"I just don't want to have a situation where we have a fire because of one of these and we had prior knowledge that they were not safe," said Len Dolan, managing director of fire safety at Kean University, which instituted a ban. "I don't want to react to a problem. I want to be proactive and prevent a problem."
The hoverboard, a popular holiday gift made by several different brands, has the same name as a levitating board seen in the "Back to the Future" movie series. But unlike in the movie, the board doesn't actually hover. It's more like a motorized skateboard or a hands-free scooter.
Though trendy, the hoverboard has generated controversy because of injuries sustained by riders and its propensity for catching on fire while its battery is charging.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating 37 reported fires in 19 states, including four in New York, two in New Jersey and one in Pennsylvania, spokesman Carl Purvis said.
A hoverboard notably caught fire in Lacey Township in December. Meanwhile, local emergency rooms reported a series of injuries from hoverboard riders hurt in accidents.
The boards have been banned on flights operated by major airlines, and New York City outlawed them, saying they violate traffic laws.
However, the safety commission has yet to complete its investigation, and the makers of hoverboards and self-balancing scooters have defended the safety of the products.
State Police have affirmed that hoverboards remain legal in New Jersey.
Regardless, colleges say they don't want to see students to get hurt or start a fire in a campus building.
Rutgers, Montclair State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Kean, Drew, Seton Hall, Rider, Stockton and Rowan universities have banned hoverboards on all or part of their campuses. Centenary College, New Jersey Institute of Technology and the College of New Jersey have also taken steps to limit hoverboard use.
"Numerous recent accounts detail a variety of the risks associated with 'hover boards,' ranging from serious falls to fires caused by their batteries igniting during charging," Drew University said in a letter to students.
Seton Hall left little wiggle room for students to get around the ban. It outlawed "hoverboards, self-balancing scooters, battery-operated scooters, hands-free segways, electric-powered skateboards and similar devices," according to the university. '
At Kean, the university will confiscate all hoverboards.
"The last thing you want to have is a fire in a dorm room," Dolan said.
Not all schools are banning the boards, though.
Princeton University is waiting to receive state or federal guidance about the product before taking action, spokeswoman Min Pullan said. In the meantime, the university sent an email with hoverboard safety tips to students and faculty who live on campus, she said.
As the Consumer Product Safety Commission continues to investigate, it advises anyone riding a hoverboard or self-balancing scooter to stay off the streets and wear a helmet and elbow pads. It also recommends that hoverboards not be charged overnight.
Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.