UMass Dartmouth has put the kibosh on hoverboards, the popular, motorized, two-wheeled, self-balancing scooter.

The product has seen its share of controversy in 2015, including an outright ban in the United Kingdom. Last November, hoverboards were banned from New York City sidewalks because they’re classified as motorized vehicles that cannot be registered with the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

At the heart of the issue is the product’s safety. Hoverboards have reportedly caught on fire due to a manufacturing error in the way the board’s battery charges. Nationally, there have also been multiple reports of riders falling off the device, resulting in injury and concussions.

Despite the concerns of over safety, hoverboards remained a popular holiday item, and the product quickly entered the pop culture landscape. Hoverboards have appeared everywhere from a sketch on Saturday Night Live that lampooned the product's safety to the latest music video from hip-hop artist Missy Elliot, in which she rides a hoverboard beside her back-up dancers.

Before students return to campus in late January, the ban at UMass was implemented to prevent fires from occurring on campus or in residence halls.

“This action, which is being implemented on campuses across the country, results from reports of lithium-ion battery fires and injuries related to hoverboards. These issues are being investigated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission,” Chief of Police Emil Fioravanti wrote in a letter addressed to the campus community.

The ban, which is effective immediately, prohibits the boards on all campus property. The ban applies to all self-balancing scooters, battery-operated scooters and hands-free segways.

The letter states that the Department of Public Safety will continue to monitor the news, and, if hoverboards are eventually deemed safe, the policy will be reevaluated.