'Hoverboards' on naughty list this Christmas

After confessing he didn't want to be "the Christmas Grinch", Mr Gay highlighted the safety concerns of the hottest toy of 2015, the hoverboard, otherwise known as a self-balancing scooter.

Mr Gay confessed the hoverboards are a "hot ticket item on many Christmas wish lists" but he wanted to remind shoppers that these "contraptions" were illegal and anyone caught riding them on the road could face a hefty fine.

The hoverboard, usually priced between $200 and $500, are motorised boards with wheels on them that riders direct by leaning, and can reach speeds up to 26km/h.

"They don't have adequate brakes and don't have lights or warning indicators, meaning they can't interact safely with other road users like pedestrians," Mr Gay said. "What's more, riders endanger themselves because they're unprotected around other vehicles like cars and trucks."

Chris Brown from Air Wheels Australia, an Australian hoverboard distributor, said Mr Gay was using "scare tactics" and his comments were "overkill".

"These products are designed for use on private property with the correct safety equipment, not on the road or on the sidewalks," he said.

Mr Brown said "there was no proper legislation" covering self-balancing scooters in Australia, "If the government doesn't update the laws and accept them they're never going to move forward," he said.

Australia doesn't have legislation covering hoverboards but Mr Gay said "safety experts in the Centre for Road Safety are currently working with their counterparts across the country on national laws and safety standards".

Even with Mr Gay pushing the safety concerns, Mr Brown, who's hoverboards are governed to 12km/h, said as far as he knew "there's been no reported deaths globally from hoverboards".

Under the Road Transport Act, hoverboards can't be registered on NSW roads and people who use them on public roads face a $637 fine, and on a public footpaths a $319 fine.