Cycling, traffic safety, traffic justice, and legal topics; energy, transit and transportion economics
Preface: This crash has nothing to do with bicycling other than the pedestrian was pushing a bicycle at the time. Because of the notoriety, the incident has its own wiki article.
3/18/2018 night-time (10pm?) mid-block pedestrian fatality might not even be reported in the news; but this being the first reported AV (Autonomous Vehicle) traffic fatality (in the world?!), it’s huge news. Continue reading “Uber involved pedestrian fatality”
3/12/2018 ~11:30am near Baseline and Priest, Tempe; 52 yo Penny L. Brown was killed by a driver who for unstated reasons lost control in a Circle K parking lot and wiped her out on the sidewalk near a bus stop…
According to police, as officers arrived at the scene, they learned that a male driver had lost control of his vehicle and struck Brown, who was standing near the bus stop on the south side of Baseline. abc15
Continue reading “woman killed at Tempe bus stop by out-of-control driver”
2/22/2018, N Scottsdale Road, near McDowell. Why this took over three weeks to make the news is very weird!? The assailant escaped after jumping into a black 1995 to 1996 black Nissan 200SX, with a 2nd suspect already in the vehicle. Police have so far not located the suspect or vehicle.
This will be a non-traffic statistic (because not a collision with a “motor vehicle in transport”)
3/10/2018 ~ 3:30am. Phoenix Police said a bicyclist struck a raised median near Baseline and I-10 off-ramp causing him to fall into traffic where he was stuck and killed by a eastbound motorist. Continue reading “Bicyclist dies after falling into traffic”
mid-day (~2pm) Thursday March 1, 2018.
A driver veered for unknown reasons causing a massive collision leaving that driver dead, and sending several to the hospital. This is on a “local” street, Roeser Rd east of 32nd St, adjacent to a nice park. “Officers are investigating whether speed or impairment were a factor in the crash” abc15 Continue reading “Massive crash on Phx local street leaves driver dead”
2/28/2018 ~3PM
Man dies after being hit by SUV outside Scottsdale Safeway
“The victim has been identified as 81-year-old Michael Ebertin… Police said a 70-year-old woman was behind the wheel of an SUV with another woman when she, for some reason, drove up on the sidewalk to the front of the store and hit the two men.
She stopped just short of the store.”
1/31/2018 ~ 10am Victim male. Not much detail released.
Location: River Road eastbound lanes somewhere near N Shannon Rd, Pima County
The location wasn’t released, but River Road appears to be a divided arterial road with two lanes in each direction plus wide bike lanes; in addition to dedicated turn pockets.
12/1/2017 ~ 1:30pm A SB driver 19th Ave near Broadway, Phoenix while speeding and illegally passing vehicles (i.e. driving SB in NB lanes), lost control and drove up on the sidewalk, killing 13 y.o. Cordell Gooch
Police say there were “early indications that the driver showed signs of impairment”
A driver drove up on the sidewalk and killed a woman and injured her child near 41st St and Jomax, Phoenix.
Police describe the incident as murder, and a ‘random act of violence’. Quite.
Continue reading “Sidewalk driver accused of murder in a ‘random act of violence’”
[ 1/29/2018 City of Tempe is considering changing cyclist right-of-way rules. This is potentially very involved and intricate. See both below, and also see letter and replies from Councilman Keating sent as CAZBike ]
[ 11/24 Updates on this shocking crosswalk fatality continue to ooze out from Tempe police, as the grieving family of Xiaoying Wen came to Tempe from China seeking answers; “Tempe police said both had the green light, but Wen failed to yield, and Tempe city law dictates that bicyclists must yield to motorists”. See below for this bad local law. LAB Bike Friendly GOLD? ]
The 11/21 News story says the crash occurred ‘last week” ? news media seems to report less and less.
Date: [Thursday 11/16/2017 ~ 4:15pm per comment below] Location: intersection of Rural Road and Vista del Cerro Drive
Continue reading “ASU doctoral student killed in Tempe crosswalk crash”
Crash October 13, 2017 ~ 1:30pm La Cañada (a.k.a. Rancho Resort Road) and Sahuarita Road. The description from the new report was, a driver “traveling north on [presumably South] La Cañada [Drive] collided with the bicyclist at the intersection of Sahuarita Road as the bicyclist tried to turn north [i.e. a right turn] from westbound Sahuarita Road” Continue reading “Serious injury crash Sahuarita”
There have been 4 bicyclists killed in Tempe traffic collisions on city streets (excludes limited-access highways) over the past 5 years [five year period 2010-2014); at the same time dozens of motorists and 14 pedestrians have been killed.
[UPDATed totals: There have been a total of 16 bicyclist traffic fatalities in the past 17 years, 2009-2025, where 2025 is not necessarily complete]
Skip below to #fatal for an incident-by-incident description
For the figures in this report, a 5-year time period, 2010-2014 was selected (the most recent available at the time; 2015 & 16 has since become available). Many additional crashes occur (14,000!) occur in Tempe on limited access highways; these crashes are not included.
There were 21,167 traffic crashes reported in the period, below are the number of people, by person type, involved: Continue reading “Tempe Traffic Collisions”
Holy sh!t, another one, I mean another jogger in Ahwatukee killed by a dangerous out-of-control driver… this is a small place. Freak “accident”? Two freak “accidents”?;
11/2/2017 ~ 4AM . Pedestrian / jogger killed on sidewalk near Lakewood Parkway and Amberwood Drive this is a collector road in a residential neighborhood. Police suspect driver was impaired, she was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. Witnesses reported that the driver of the vehicle, 25-year-old Shannon Scott, was driving on the sidewalk when Hilts was struck”
Continue reading “Another Ahwatukee jogger killed on sidewalk: driver arrested”
FINAL(?) UPDATE: sentencing occurred 10/14/2022; see discussion below.
10/29/2017 bicyclist killed in headon crash with wrong-way susp. impaired driver.
Summit Trail Road inside South Mountain Park, Phoenix. There were no specific location given, here is a sample of the Summit Road.
Continue reading “PD: Bicyclist killed by impaired driver at South Mountain park in Phoenix”
local story huge backup two dead mom/driver arrested on suspicion of
Saturday 10/21/2017 evening around 9PM. I-10 near Wild Horse Pass Blvd, just south of Ahwatukee /Chandler.
Are we safe yet?
Would more enforcement help?
Would wrong-way freeway detection have prevented this tragedy?
Answers: No, Probably, and No.
Continue reading “Driver arrested: deadly 5-vehicle crash on I-10 near Wild Horse Pass”