While your comparison to the fervour over bikes is amusing it is off point.
One US mom-focused site warned that eight hover-board-related accidents 
had been reported over a three-month period — a tiny number in a country of 320 million people. Your comment would only make sense if 320 million people owned hover-boards Otherwise it is meaningless, 
by your logic you could say 8 to the population of the world.
The 8 accidents can only be compared to how many people 
owned hover-boards over that same time frame to obtain a fair judgement 
as to their contributions to accidents compared to other riding devices.
Still probably small, so there is no need to stray from accuracy to make a point.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating “dozens” of incidents in which hover-boards caught fire, 
possibly due to faulty electronics 
- nope it is the lithium batteries — which are also banned as cargo 
on passenger flights — same problem

The danger seems real,
Nope.
It is real, in fact, it is so real that they can burst into flames even when no one is home, and it is the only reason that the Government is stepping up to the plate, not because of accidents, people fall off of all kinds of things,
they even fall walking on flat ground, but no one is banning 
balconies , bridges, bannisters, stairs or walking

A bigger worry is how apathetic the government is when it comes to airplanes. Boeing 787 Dreamliner has lithium batteries and guess what, 
they spontaneously combust as well.

Solution? Apparently the FAA was happy 
“after changes were made to their battery systems to better contain battery fires” Seriously, now, when the batteries burst into flames ,
 at least it is contained ?
That is the best standard they can aim for 
in a metal tube 33,000 feet in the air.

Does not the plane kind of need the battery for something like maybe running the electrical system.
Hmmm. Sounds more like a Nightmare-Liner.

As for those fear mongering headlines, that is the nature of the news
whose motto is “If it bleeds it leads.”
In other words fear mongering and mayhem sells.
Those kind of headlines have never put a damper on reckless behaviours
or even slowed down innovation and progress.

Check out the hideous anti Marijuana video clips from the 50’s which have resurfaced. Now there is some serious fear mongering.