Category: Uncategorized

Hit-run driver eludes capture for a year — sentenced

This is a story from Boulder, CO

The story doesn’t say how the driver was caught — but it’s heartening to see law enforcement keep after these dangerous criminals — hit and run is a felony in Arizona as I’m sure it is also in Colorado. Again, no legal details at this level but the end result was the driver was sentenced to 2.5 years. And, oh yeah, the driver was uninsured (of course).

There are numerous examples of outstanding police-work hit and run cases in Arizona that I am aware of… I’m sure there are more but e.g. the alleged killer of GCU student and jogger Taylor White took 3 years.

According to the sparse details of the crash itself, on a Saturday afternoon in 2019, a van driver, Stephen Grattan, drifted from the lane onto a wide shoulder for unknown reasons (drunk? high? sleeping?), and struck the bicyclist from behind.

Andrew Bernstein on Hit-and-Run That Nearly Killed Him, Search for Justice and Life Now

The victim’s statement at sentencing I found quite well-stated: Continue reading “Hit-run driver eludes capture for a year — sentenced”

Arizona Bicyclist Street Smarts

Why this post is here: sometime in 2021, ADOT reorganized what used to be known as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program’s website, azbikeped.org ; that link still works, but it just redirects to what is now called the ADOT Active Transportation program’s website: activetransportation.az.gov

Bicycling Street Smarts cover imageThe old site contained a full online copy of Arizona Bicycling Street Smarts, a 42 page booklet that contained excellent advice for how to ride a bicycle safely in traffic, among other topics. The bad news is the new site no longer contains that content; the good news is Arizona Bicycling Street Smarts is available in its entirety from archive.org.

Continue reading “Arizona Bicyclist Street Smarts”

Arizona’s handheld cell phone ban; citations

The 7/7/2021 print edition (p.12-13) of AFN ran a story detailing the number of citations issued Phoenix and metro area police against motorists violating Arizona’s “new” handheld cellphone ban. The law has been on the books since 2019, but the penalty (a fine) only began on Jan 1, 2021; prior to that it was simply, at most, a warning. So at about 6 months in here’s what they found: Continue reading “Arizona’s handheld cell phone ban; citations”

Driver kills self and another in rush-hour 202 Santan freeway

Monday around 6pm. The driver of a large SUV entered the 202/Santan freeway off-ramp at Alma School, causing a head-on crash killing herself and another woman.

Maybe the sun was in her eyes?

“…Investigators learned a white GMC Yukon entered the highway going the wrong direction on the Alma School Road off-ramp. The driver, 30-year-old Sarah Walterscheid, accelerated at a high rate of speed into oncoming traffic, hitting a Kia head-on…”, killing 44-year-old Jackie Keeper. https://www.abc15.com/traffic/two-dead-in-crash-involving-wrong-way-driver-along-loop-202-santan

$1.35 Million Settlement in Tempe Police Speeding Wrongful Death Suit

police-speeding without the benefit of lights or sirens, seems to be a routine thing. In this incident from a several years ago:

“[a Tempe Police officer] was travelling at 95 mph in a 45 mph zone without the use of his siren or light bar… five seconds before the crash”

…striking and killing a drunk pedestrian near Baseline and Rural roads who was (I presume) “jaywalking”. The incident occurred in 2005, but a wrongful death lawsuit wasn’t settled until 2010.

Continue reading “$1.35 Million Settlement in Tempe Police Speeding Wrongful Death Suit”

Driver indicted in texting-killing incident

Scene on SR101 where officer was killed

Jerry Sanstead Jr, the driver in this Jan ’19 incident was finally indicted on manslaughter in Dec 2020. That it takes this long to even bring charges speaks volumes about the sorry state of holding drivers responsible for their actions behind the wheel:

DPS: Driver who killed officer was texting and driving

Waymo releases data on 6 million miles

“In its first report on its autonomous vehicle operations in Phoenix, Arizona, Waymo said that it was involved in 18 crashes and 29 near-miss collisions…” reports the Verge

The 18 refer to actual crashes where actual contact was made was contacted with another vehicle (or potentially if it has been, or bicyclist). There were no injuries.

The 29 near-misses refer to simulated responses of their AV system; which didn’t actually happen, because the human driver intervened. The vast majority of Miles logged were with a human “safety driver” present.

By the way here’s the story of the kook that caused one of the crashes, he was apparently a disgruntled ex-Waymo driver ; it also includes a link to the nut who brandished a gun at a waymo driver, apparently because he was aggreived by the waymo vehicles.

Continue reading “Waymo releases data on 6 million miles”

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?”

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.'”

Continue reading “Ahwatukee gunbattle”

Does Ray Road have a bike lane?

Ray Road near 33rd Street, Phoenix.

Spoiler alert: No. Ray Road, in Phoenix, does not now, nor has it ever had a bike lane. As I wrote in 2003 and again in 2010 Is this a Bike Lane? the answer is a flat ‘No’. Bike lanes must be marked to be a bike lane. (this also applies to portions of Chandler Blvd under discussion). Continue reading “Does Ray Road have a bike lane?”

Tempe City Council candidate hurt after car rolled under school bus in crash

(Photo: Marc Norman)

Green means go, right? Even when there’s something really big, with really bright flashing lights. Yet somehow a driver missed all those cues — “The Jeep’s driver told the responding police officer that he didn’t realize the bus was going to stop at the railroad tracks and kept driving because there was a green light”. Continue reading “Tempe City Council candidate hurt after car rolled under school bus in crash”

Arizona Bicyclist and Ped Crash Map

Volunteer Needed

crashmap

URGENT: Google has announced the tool used to present the crash maps on Azbikelaw, called “Fusion Tables” is being discontinued Dec 3, 2019.
Azbikelaw is looking for a volunteer familiar with GIS and web-presentation to help effect transition to something else.
That something else would likely need to be free-to-use, either open source or free-commercial. Commercial tools run the cost gamut from prohibitively expensive to free for non-commercial use, which this application would be.
Ideally the replacement would offer all the features of fusion tables; which includes in addition to mapping,  rudimentary filtering; for example find all crashes occurring at night in some particular city where a motorist was turning left in years 2010-2015.

Contact azbikelaw by leaving a comment or email 

Continue reading “Arizona Bicyclist and Ped Crash Map”