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Comment by qwerty456127 | Hacker News Reader

Why? Is there supposed to be any problem in riding suitcases besides the very fact this formally breaks a law? Shouldn't they better just update the law to add an exception?

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> Shouldn't they better just update the law to add an exception?

No, the point is in crowded places like airports you don't want people zipping around on electric scooters, suitcases or otherwise, running into people - esp elderly.

So, a speed limit rather than a complete ban?

Enforcement is not worth the benefit of allowing luggage scooters.

You've got to have "police" everywhere who need to be trained to identify when someone is going too fast. Who does enforcement? Actual police? You need a lot more police than normal. Airport staff? They're not enforcers. They keep the carts in the right location and bathrooms tidy. But, let's say you can have enforcers. So enforcer says slow down, kid says okayyyyyyy and then goes fast again right out of eye sight. But speed limits on the luggage! No way, so add an on/off button to comply because no one wants to buy only a slow luggage, but you've still got that person who "won't airplane mode".

Repeat offenders? Now you've just confiscated their luggage. That's gonna be good.

In this scenario, electric luggage == actual scooter. You don't ride actual scooters through an airport, but I've seen so many electric luggage scooters.

I admit they're cool af and everytime I see someone on one I'm jelly. They're their own advertising. But they're at an airpot and it's crowded for the speed. I'm already stressed enough - I don't need your kid running into me at speed.

No one wants you zipping around them on a suitcase in general, I dont think a speed limit helps (also enforcement). A complete ban makes sense for the same reason you can't ride your bicycle or scooter in the airport.

That could be the way. Now would these still sell if the speed limit was 2km/h ?

It seems like the average walking speed (3mph, 5km/h) would be a more reasonable limit, since all the luggage is already "zipping" around at that speed.

I'd rather set it to running speed. Occasionally you would run through an airport but you probably can't do that comfortably all the way from one terminal to another one. Riding a personal portable electronic vehicle would just let you do the same all the way without to much sweating.

A key difference though: someone walking can stop in place and potentially work around a collision in a very limited time. I'm imagining someone flexing in to avoid a small kid they didn't see coming for instance.

That's pretty manageable when we're walking, but basically impossible when riding a vehicle (at best we stop within the machine's braking distance, including our reaction time until pushing the right button).

Then when a collision occurs, it will be the luggage's hard surface hitting first, compounded with the weight of the rider on it. Compared to person vs person collision, that probably hurts a lot more. Same way it's worse to get hit by a cart than by bumping into someone.

You can put your feet down, since they're barely on to begin with [1]. Meh.

[1] https://www.walmart.com/ip/SE3S-Airwheel-Smart-Rideable-Suit...

The areas where these would be used are super crowded, it is likely that the riders are constantly bumping into people.

I see. Why not just limit the speed to that of a fast walking / slow running human and/or fine those who would ride carelessly enough to bump so people would have to remember deciding to ride means taking responsibility? Maybe also ban using smartphone while riding.

>people would have to remember deciding to ride means taking responsibility

And that, dear reader, is where the plan falls apart entirely.

But for real, regulation exists because large groups of people generally can't be expected to act rationally.

>But for real, regulation exists because large groups of people generally can't be expected to act rationally.

Especially tourists, who are the main users of these electric suitcases.

I think a formal way to assert that someone will follow those rules/be mindful is a license..

I imagine there is also a real concern that a lot of these things are using Lithium batteries from no-name companies that cannot be tracked down and held responsible if there is an explosion.

Saving money on a cab fare and getting the suitcase to drive its owner to the hotel either using footpaths or public roads.

Those rules are about delineation between scooters and bicycles. The easiest way to think about it is this: Bicycles have performance limitations for safety and licensing reasons, pedal assist with a speed limit has proven a convenient performance measure for a bicycle in a bunch of countries.

Scooters have no such performance restrictions and as such require licensing, age limits, insurance and all that jazz.

So TL;DR it's just a convenient demarcation between two classes of vehicle performance, that doesn't also limit human only powered bicycles or full scooters.

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