2026-07-02 4pm. Bethany Home Road near 35th Ave.
A sidewalk cyclist traveling westbound on the sidewalk of Bethany Home Road was killed when struck by the driver of a full-sized pickup (apparently, a “lifted” pickup) exiting a commercial driveway in the vicinity of 35th Ave; the direction of bicyclist was not specified as to whether she was traveling with or against traffic flow. 12new segment: 60-year-old bicyclist killed in west Phoenix crash, the victim’s name is Jennifer Lam
When sidewalk riding (if you must do it) should only be done in the direction of traffic — the news reports don’t mention which direction the cyclist was going — in order to be more visible to drivers, as they have a tendency to look towards the direction of oncoming traffic, and only cursorily the other way. This general area has tons of commercial driveways; lots of conflict opportunities from vehicles entering/exiting driveways.
The (extra) danger posed by large pickups and SUVs is a known and growing problem. See, e.g. this 2021 Consumer’s Report report, but the issue has been noted decades ago, see e.g. The Emerging threat of Light Truck Impacts with Pedestrians published in 2005. It certainly has emerged, and is certainly a threat to public safety. This crash was in all likelihood a very low-speed affair, very survivable depending on the type of vehicle involved.
This “emerging” danger is exacerbated by “lifting” the truck. When a tall front end strikes a pedestrian (or in the case a bicyclist) they tend to get mashed underneath; likely what lead to the death of a cyclist involved in a low-speed collision at an all-way stop a few years ago.
This isn’t hard to visualize, illustration from PEDESTRIAN SAFETY: A NEW METHOD TO ASSESS PEDESTRIAN KINEMATICS:
SSTI: Bigger isn’t always better: The hidden costs of larger vehicles “Larger vehicles are more dangerous for several reasons. Their taller, flatter front ends are more likely to strike pedestrians in the chest or torso rather than the legs, increasing the likelihood that a person is knocked to the ground and run over”
When I see a bike cycling on the sidewalk, always tell them that riding the sidewalk will get you killed. They almost always are riding on the wrong side of the road, against traffic. Studies show that sidewalk riding is far more dangerous than riding in the street. Yet many people believe that they are safer on the sidewalk.
These oversized, over-powered vehicles are the new drunk driving crisis in America. There are ample studies readily available on line. Most recently by the New York Times this past June. One You Tube video explains it succinctly. These vehicles are designed for intimidation, talking about the grill heights, catering to agressive-oriented drivers who think they control the road. They look dangerous, are operated dangerously, and the result is death. According to the study, every 4 inches of grill hieght results in 31% increase in female deaths and 19% increase in male deaths. Add to all of this agressiveness, overpowered engines, and intimidating designs with vision technology allowing drivers to “back in” to parking spaces, and you have Le Mans style starts on pull-out from driveways. I have faced this very risk on my own neighborhood street.This is a cronic design and behavior problem. Now its time for some level of authority to take action to curb this nonsense.
Thanks for the pedestrian safety link. It was interesting to see the contortions the human body goes through when hit by various vehicles. I upsized my SUV to a GMC Yukon to better pull an enclosed utility trailer and a camping trailer. As a driver and experienced cyclist, I look for people on the road and can move my head around to see in the blind spots. There are also warning lights (eye-level in the windshield) and other bells and whistles to keep you aware of your surroundings. Ultimately, it is up to each driver to keep themselves and all others road users safe regardless of the vehicle they are using.