Author: ArizonaBikeLaw

Fatal Bicycle collision mid-town Tucson

8/8/2020 ~ 10PM. Fatal collision along the 3300 block of E Grant Road near Northway (east of Country Club Road). The name of the bicyclist was not released.

“…it was determined the bicyclist was traveling eastbound on Grant Road in the middle multi-use turn lane.It appears the bicyclist veered into the eastbound median lane and was struck from behind by a …”

For crash categorization purposes in FARS, this will likely be  an unsafe lane change by bicyclist (in other words, it’s not a motorist overtaking / strike from behind).

Tangentially related, in the footer of the TPD press release, they always place a traffic fatality summary for City of Tucson comparing current year to previous year period. The number of vehicle (so enclosed vehicle occupants) and motorcyclist is shockingly high year-over-year. Up 200% … can that be? (11 vs. 36). Peds fatals are down a good bit, bicyclist fatals are flat.

Continue reading “Fatal Bicycle collision mid-town Tucson”

Double fatality in Glendale on Thunderbird

Sunday 7/12/2020 ~ 7:30pm, Near 51st Avenue and Thunderbird Road double bicyclist fatality in a crash.

In a news report nearly devoid of any details other than approximate time and location; no updates as of mid-day.   Glendale Police apparently released some details, including the names of the persons killed, that were reported MOnday afternoon. This describes a right-angle collision at the intersection of 52nd and Thunderbird, the bicycle was southbound on 52nd and was struck after presumably failing to yield by a westbound motorist on Thunderbird.

This area is near ASU West campus; that corner is heavily commercial. Sunset was 7:39PM.

Continue reading “Double fatality in Glendale on Thunderbird”

Hit and run driver drives over two women on Scottsdale sidewalk

photo: Tami M. Hoey

6/4/2020 7pm. A hit and run driver drove over the sidewalk and seriously hurt two women who were walking on the sidewalk in Old Town Scottsdale. Injuries are said to be serious, with one “fighting for her life”.

Police arrested a suspect, Allami Hussain, nearby a short time later.

Continue reading “Hit and run driver drives over two women on Scottsdale sidewalk”

Bicycle Passing Law Sign

r4-11 with Change Lanes To Pass placard

Despite availability of BMUFL/Change lanes to pass signs; there has been work ongoing to approve a whole new sign which would specifically refer to state passing law requirements in states with so-called numerical passing laws. According to NCSL as of April 2020, 34 states have such laws, almost all of them specifying a minimum of 3 feet, and most have some loopholes.

There are any number of home-brewed (non-standard) such signs in use all over the place (e.g. City of Phoenix has been using this sign since 2007); hopefully this will at least clean up that mess. Continue reading “Bicycle Passing Law Sign”

Bicyclist dies while “crossing midblock” 19th ave / Bethany Home

5/27/2020 ~ 4AM. A male bicyclist was “crossing midblock” on Bethany Home Road near 19th Ave, Phoenix when he was struck by a west bound driver.

I-17 is about a mile west of there. It’s a heavily commercial area. “Crossing midblock” implies pedestrian behavior.

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Drifting driver kills bicyclist in Scottsdale

[Updated March 23, 2022 — nearly two years have gone by and no prosecution has taken place at least according to records search. I have no idea why. If MCSO is not going to ever bring the felony charge, the City of Scottsdale Prosecutor’s office can and should charge the misdemeanor version — 28-672; which has a TWO year statute of limitations… TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE]

5/23/2020 Morning, eastbound Happy Valley Rd near 91st St. An SUV driver “drifted over the fog line” and killed a bicyclist, 48 y.o. Miodrag Milovanovic.

Continue reading “Drifting driver kills bicyclist in Scottsdale”

3 y.o. Glendale boy killed by hit and run driver

5/21/2020 ~ 1PM Hit and run driver of Jeep killed 3 y.o. Carson, who was riding in a trailer pulled by father. Carson’s mother was also injured.

Collin Jones arrested by Glendale PD

The family was north on the eastside (that’s an odd way to describe it; it appears to describe the group was cycling “in the direction of traffic”) of 70th Avenue, just north of Villa Theresa Drive, when a vehicle heading south ran over the bike trailer.

This is a wholly residential area.

Continue reading “3 y.o. Glendale boy killed by hit and run driver”

Oops they did it again?

A dangerous driver failed to negotiate the exit ramp from eastbound I-10 at Warner Road, losing control and killed the signal pole and pedestrian beg button post in August 2017. It was promptly replaced.

It’s down AGAIN in early May 2020; crews were replacing it on 5/14/2020.

Incidentally the signal pole is adjacent to the crosswalk, the drivers also wiped out the pedestrian beg button post — you know, where a pedestrian might be standing?

Continue reading “Oops they did it again?”

Female bicyclist killed in Picture Rocks crash

4/1/2020 6:37pm According to a tucson.com news report, a female bicyclist was seriously injured in a  crash. (The datafile lists it as a fatal collision meaning she died sometime later; i was unaware of the crash at the time, although it was briefly reported on in the news media. It showed up quickly in the crashfile,  only 1 week after the incident which is somewhat unusual for a fatality / serious injury crash. Continue reading “Female bicyclist killed in Picture Rocks crash”

Killed in bike lane by distracted driver

Stock photo of distracted driver in Chandler who caused death (photo: Sky12)

5/9/2020 victim Ed Rockland

According to a public post on Ed Rockland’s facebook , Ed’s wife Carole made this announcement “This morning Ed and I were riding our bikes safely in a bike lane when he was struck from behind by a driver checking his cellphone”.

I’m guessing from the post that there were no other serious injuries. Continue reading “Killed in bike lane by distracted driver”

Woman bicyclist killed in collision w/truck, horse-trailer

5/10/2020 ~7PM. 32nd St and Broadway Rd, Phoenix. victim 35-year-old Nicole Hicks.

Sunset was 7:19PM so not dark; depending on direction, sun glare could have been a factor.

The news description was a bit light on details; other than to mention the bicyclist was in a crosswalk, and that “Police say the driver failed to stop for a red light and was issued citations”.  No directions were included.

If the driver “ran” a red light, they should be charged with 28-672. It could also or additionally be a right-turn-on-red error. A somewhat common scenario is a driver approaching a red light rolls through while turning without looking or seeing a counter-flow bicyclist that has entered the crosswalk on a green/walk. Continue reading “Woman bicyclist killed in collision w/truck, horse-trailer”

Man on bike hit and killed by car in north Phoenix

5/6/2020 Wednesday around 11pm. The bicyclist was 61 y.o. Anthony Groth.

Driver was NB on 7th St; bicyclists was WB on Carol Ave. Police said the bicyclist failed to yield, (Carol Ave would have a stop sign). These directions were per fox10phoenix.com. The account at azfamily.com has a slightly different account, saying only that it was 7th Street “near” Hatcher. (Hatcher is parallel to and a few hundred feet south of Carol). So it’s not clear from the news statements whether or not it was at an intersection, or mid-block. The azcentral (Arizona Republic) has some apparent errors, sourced to the Phoenix Police spokesperson.

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Is this an e-bike?

Motrino XMr w/pedals attached

A rider near Vancouver, British Columbia was ticketed for operating his device without insurance and driver’s license. The rider claimed his device was a “Motor Assisted Cycle”, as defined in their traffic codes, while police said otherwise. A trial judge went with the police’s interpretation; and an appeal to the BC’s supreme court failed.

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Ahwatukee gunbattle

For the Ahwatukee archives: April 2019 high speed chase ending in a five-vehicle  crash and ensuing gunbattle; one federal agent’s truck careened over the curb and crashed through a wall.

Not exactly usual traffic but certainly not all that unusual — drivers jumping curbs, smashing lightposts, walls, killing joggers, etc. on a routine basis.

We see now, a year later, the now dead driver was severely impaired by drugs: “Only later, after an autopsy and toxicology report, was it revealed that she had near-fatal levels of methamphetamine in her body, which could have explained much of her [erratic] driving behavior…’The effect of methamphetamine would be related to increased risk-taking behavior, more aggressive behavior, potentially erratic driving,’ said Stripp, a forensic toxicologist … ‘They may speed, they may run red lights.'”

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