Is a skateboard a vehicle?

A long awaited sequel to "Is a parachute a vehicle"

Short answer. Yes.

So, I have determined a while back that a parachute is not a vehicle. But around the same time, I had started wondering whether or not some other things count as vehicles or not. While I may end up covering a bunch of other things in the future, today I choose to look into whether or not a skateboard would count as a vehicle.

Similar to a parachute, it seems to be a really nebulous problem until we define it further. Last time, the definition I gave was pretty good, although there was a small problem with it. 

• be able to get a person or cargo from a clearly defined Point A to a clearly defined Point B
• be at least partially human controlled on or within the vehicle
• a self-driving car can still be human controlled, so it is still a vehicle
• (if it is controllable, but only from a remote location, it's a vessel)
• reduce the necessity of a basic unaided human movement
• a basic unaided human movement is something like walking, running, swimming, or climbing. Something that a human can do with nothing but their own bodies

So with this definition, we can start to see whether or not a skateboard checks these boxes.

Can a skateboard get a person from a clearly define Point A to a clearly defined Point B? 

• Yes, as long as you know how to use it. Tricks are optional, but add some good style bonus points.

Can a skateboard be at least partially human controlled while the human is on it?

• Assuming you know how to skate, you can control many things about the skateboard: speed, and turning just to name a few.

Does a skateboard reduce the necessity of a basic unaided human movements?

• Skating is not a basic human movement, and I don't think anyone would disagree with me in that regard. Skateboards are typically used on sidewalks, roads or floors, meaning that they may be taking the job of walking, running, rolling, skipping, galloping, cha cha sliding, or any other ground based human movement. However, it is safe to say that skating is very distinct from any of the other forms of movement.

he wields the true power of the board

With that, I believe it is safe to say that a skateboard IS in fact a vehicle. 

Thank you for listening. I will answer any questions in the comments.

- morsh