So you know those ‘swegways’ people have been riding? A cross between a Segway and a skateboard, they light up and roll along the street like a sort of hoverboard, should the rider have the core stability to balance on it without falling into a crumpled heap. Celebrity riders include Justin Bieber, Lily Allen and Brooklyn Beckham. And we’ve also seen some ‘normal’ people riding them, whizzing along pavements while vaping and making us wonder if we’re living in some far off future dystopia because, let’s face it, the end must be nigh.
Well, the end might also be nigh for the popularity of these boards – at least amongst normal everyday humans – as the legality of riding these cumbersome looking and preeeetty expensive toys in public has been cleared up. It’s actually not legal at all to ride them in public. At all. Because while they’re recognised as motor vehicles, reaching 12mph, they’re not allowed to be used on public footpaths like pavements: ‘Under section 72 of the Highway Act 1835 (extends to England and Wales only) it is an offence to wilfully ride on the footway’
The catch-22 is that they’re also not fit for riding on the road. Because the Department for Transport recognises these ‘Segway Personal Transporter’s as motor vehicles, to ride them on the road would need them registered (carrying a tax disc, but where?) and licenced. Oh, and you’d need a driving licence and motor insurance to ride it on the road.
Which means that poor old (or incredibly young) Brooklyn Beckham has, in fact, broken the law. And uploaded evidence of it to Instagram.
Aged 16, he’s too young to have a driving licence, but that’s by the by, because, as a post on his Instagram suggests, he’s done a ‘double spin’ on his wiz board in the middle of the pavement before rolling off. Unfortunately, something tells us the 320,000 plus likes won’t work in his defence should this be hauled up in front of the courts. Because, as the law states: ‘You can only ride an unregistered self-balancing scooter on land which is private property and with the landowner's permission’
While we must state there is no action from the police against anyone (yet) for the breaking this anti-swegway law, Brooklyn and anyone else who feels they might have potentially breached this thoroughly modern law, could take notes from Wiz Khalifa’s defiance after getting in trouble with police for his ‘hoverboard’.
The rapper alleged he was handcuffed by police for riding his and angrily tweeted: ‘Haven't been slammed and cuffed in a while. That was fun.’
‘All because I didn't want to ditch the [technology] everyone will be using in the next 6 months. Do what you want kids.
He insisted the police will get their just desserts, though: ‘What's even funnier than [the cops] not bein able to do shit is they'll be riding them soon as well. Maybe ones I design. I stand for our generation and our generation is gonna be riding hover boards so if you don't like it eat a dick!’
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.