Local governments are bracing for the impact the hottest holiday gifts may have on the streets and skies in their communities. The popularity of drones and hoverboards has gotten ahead of the regulations that would control their usage. Here are some examples:

• Hoverboards are illegal in New York City but the state of California passed a law legalizing hoverboards but regulating them—confining their use to bike lanes and pathways. For an idea on how hoverboards may be regulated in your state or municipality, consider Segways. Segway’s website lists regulations by state and this ordinance from Boston on the Knowledge Network states that Segways may only be used in areas approved by the Boston Transportation Department.
• You might have seen recent news stories about hoverboards catching fire or exploding. One public service that communities might offer is information on hoverboard safety. This release from the Idaho Fire Marshall lists more than a dozen safety tips.
• To help consumers, users, and policy makers understand all the current federal legislation and recommendations in place surrounding the purchase and use of drones, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched this webpage. The FAA published this press release announcing a streamlined and user-friendly web-based aircraft registration process for drone owners. 
• Communities can help the small army of new holiday drone pilots fly by the rules by sharing safety information available through an FAA campaign called Know Before You Fly. The website segments the information by type of user.
• Finally, if you are interested in tracking drone policies, this blog from Syracuse University’s Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism tracks all the current local policies regulating drone use.

And if the holiday season of 2015 doesn’t unnerve you, get ready for driverless cars predicted to enter the market as early as 2017.