E-scooter crashes in Boone County have left people hospitalized in almost a dozen cases since the end of 2024, according to county sheriff's office data obtained by The Enquirer, and the scooters involved in crashes were operated by children as young as 7 years old.
The data illustrates why some county officials consider those vehicles a safety concern and why on July 28 the Boone County Fiscal Court discussed whether it was time to regulate them.
These electric vehicles are propelled by battery motors and allow their users to go faster than traditional bikes and scooters. Some electric scooters and bikes can reach speeds over 40 mph. Injuries and hospitalizations among children associated with e-bikes and e-scooters nationwide have sharply increased
since January 2023, USA Today reported.
How many crashes?
Boone County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to at least 16 crashes involving electric scooters from December 2024 to July 2026. However, the true number of crashes is likely higher, said Boone County Sheriff's Office spokesman Philip Ridgell.
Eleven of these crashes resulted in injuries, and first responders transported someone to the hospital in 10 of those cases.
In most crashes − 12 of them − e-scooters collided with a moving car. In another case, a scooter hit a parked car, and in another, a scooter crashed into the sidewalk. In March 2026, an 11-year-old driving a scooter hit a pedestrian walking on the sidewalk.
"(The pedestrian's) injuries were pretty significant," Ridgell said. "They weren't life-threatening, but she was pretty banged up from that collision."
The ages of the people driving the electric vehicles ranged from 7 to 77 years old.
"They're more visible within the community," Ridgell said. "And when something's more visible in the community, of course, the community takes note of it."
Because many scooter users are children, Ridgell said his department is looking to address the issue "through education rather than enforcement."
"These kids, by and large, aren't trying to do anything wrong," he said. "They just don't know what they don't know."
However, he said in "egregious cases" where drivers dangerously speed or drive with an intent to hurt others, the department could still give tickets or citations, arrest drivers or impound scooters.
What laws regulate electric scooters?
Ridgell said part of the challenge is figuring out what laws and regulations apply to each case. Currently, there's not one clear law police can use for enforcement.
Kentucky lawregulates "electric low-speed scooters" that are used on highways, bicycle lanes or bicycle paths. The law says electric low-speed scooters must weigh less than 100 pounds and have a maximum speed of 20 mph.
However, this law doesn't cover electric vehicles that may go faster than 20 mph. Ridgell said some of the vehicles deputies see in Boone County can go faster and could instead be considered electric motorcycles or mopeds, which would fall under a different statute.
Kentucky law says only people older than 16 can operate these scooters. However, Ridgell said it's not immediately clear how police should deal with incidents where the drivers are children.
Boone County also has its own rules that prohibit motorized vehicles from driving on sidewalks or multi-use paths (unless it the vehicle serves "a sole purpose as a child's toy and not for transportation").
Kentucky law also doesn't categorize e-bikes based on bikes' maximum speeds and motor assistance.
What's next in Boone County
This discrepancy is part of why Boone County officials are looking to revise the existing ordinance, Ridgell said.
During the Boone County Fiscal Court meeting July 28, County Administrator Matthew Webster said the county was discussing how to regulate electric vehicles.
In a statement to The Enquirer, Webster said the county has formed a committee to research the issue. The committee has officials from the Florence Police Department and from county administration, the sheriff's office, the attorney's office, public works and communications.
Webster said in the statement that over the next month, the committee will research safety issues, other county and city ordinances and state law. They plan to present their initial findings to the Boone County Fiscal Court during a caucus meeting at 5 p.m. Sept. 24. This meeting will have an opportunity for the public to give feedback.
"Specific actions will be developed at the direction of the elected officials after the public has had ample opportunity to make their voices heard," Webster said in the statement.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: E-scooter crashes prompt suburban county to consider regulations
