Six children under 16 have been struck by vehicles on Boone County roads in 2026, and a state legislator who lives in Union is pushing Frankfort to update Kentucky's outdated e-bike and e-scooter laws.

Five of the six juveniles were hospitalized, according to Boone County Sheriff's Office data reported by WCPO on Aug. 18. The incidents include a 15-year-old girl hit on State Road 20 in Hebron and a 15-year-old struck while riding an e-scooter in Union in late July.

Body camera footage from the Sheriff's Office captured the Hebron teen speaking from inside an ambulance: "I think the tire ran over my foot or something. I don't know. It happened too fast."

Dash camera video from a deputy's response recorded the Union crash. The driver told the deputy the light was green and that he did not see the 15-year-old.

Proctor calls for state action

State Rep. Marianne Proctor, a Republican who represents Boone County's 60th House District and practices as a speech-language pathologist in Union, told WCPO that Kentucky's statutes were written for roller skates and pedal bicycles and do not address electric devices. That gap, she said, makes it difficult for counties to pass countywide ordinances.

Proctor said the state legislature needs to provide clearer definitions and guidelines so municipalities can determine what their own local rules should look like.

Kentucky is one of six states that has not adopted the federal three-class e-bike framework. State law (KRS 189.289) sets a minimum age of 16 for operating an electric low-speed scooter on a highway or bike lane, but no equivalent rule covers e-bikes.

Local efforts already underway

The new injury data adds urgency to a regulatory push already moving through Boone County, Florence and Union. As we reported Aug. 5, assistant county attorney Bill Knoebel has been reviewing state statutes, surveying other communities' ordinances and meeting with the Sheriff's Office and Public Works. County Administrator Matthew Webster told the Fiscal Court on July 28 that a formal presentation is expected at a caucus meeting in September.

Florence Police Chief Jeff Mallery has confirmed his department is participating in the discussions. The Union City Commission voted July 27 to align its future e-bike rules with whatever Boone County adopts, since the Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement within Union's city limits.

Union resident Sheree Nies told WCPO she sees riders cut in front of cars, blow through intersections and ignore traffic signals on Union roads.

Across the river in Kenton County, Fort Thomas held a first reading Aug. 17, of a revised ordinance that would ban the fastest e-bikes from sidewalks. Florence and Union are using a similar Fort Mitchell model ordinance as a reference.

Residents who want to report unsafe e-scooter or e-bike activity in Boone County can call the Sheriff's Office at (859) 334-2175.