Find a motorcycle accident lawyer in Glendale, Arizona: your rights on two wheels

Last checked November 8, 2026

Arizona gives a motorcycle a full lane, and drivers may not crowd it out.1 After a crash in Glendale, police take the report on city streets and DPS on Loop 101.23 State law does not require adults to wear a helmet,4 and you generally have 2 years to sue.5

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Road map of Glendale, Arizona showing 59th Avenue and Northern Avenue, a Glendale intersection on the region's list of highest crash risk
Arizona gives motorcycles a full lane. Drivers may not crowd it. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How many motorcycle crashes happen around Glendale, AZ?

Maricopa County had 1,960 motorcycle crashes in 2024. In those, 123 riders died and 1,586 were hurt.6 Statewide the count was 3,036.7 ADOT does not publish a motorcycle count for Glendale by itself, and we could not find one from the city.

What Glendale does have is a list of corners where people get hurt. 59th Avenue and Northern logged 168 crashes from 2018 to 2022, and 59th Avenue and Thunderbird logged 149.89 The list counts all vehicles, not motorcycles. Still, a rider making a left turn across one of those intersections knows how little room there is for a mistake by someone else.

The city says it is still building its Vision Zero and safety plans,10 so there is no finished local map of motorcycle danger spots yet.

I was not wearing a helmet. Can I still file a claim in Arizona?

Yes, you can still file. Arizona requires helmets only for riders and passengers under 18.4 Whether going without one can lower an adult's award is unsettled. Awards are cut by a person's share of fault, and no Arizona statute says if riding without a helmet counts.11 Expect the insurance company to raise it anyway.

A different rule is clear. A rider must wear approved glasses, goggles or a face shield unless the motorcycle has a protective windshield.12

Arizona motorcycle operators killed, 2024Number
Operators who died in all21513
Wearing a helmet12613
Not wearing a helmet6313
Helmet use unknown2613

Those numbers do not tell you who was at fault. They only show that helmet use will likely come up in your case, in one direction or the other.

Was I allowed to pass between cars in Glendale?

Maybe. Arizona lets a two-wheeled motorcycle move between stopped cars only if it can be done safely, on a street with a limit of 45 mph or less, and at 15 mph or less.14 Note the posted speed where you crashed, and whether traffic had come to a full stop.

If you were following that rule when a door opened or a car drifted over, say so in your first statement. If you were not, Arizona's rule on shared fault lowers your recovery rather than ending it.15 The driver who squeezed you out of your lane may also have broken the full-lane rule.1

Who is responsible for a pothole that dropped my bike in Glendale?

A bad patch of road is a bigger threat on two wheels. Glendale's street crews fix an average of 12,000 potholes a year.16 If one took you down, find out who owns that stretch of road before anything else, because the claim rules depend on it.

  1. Photograph the hole with something that shows its size, such as a glove or a coin.
  2. File a report in GlendaleOne under Streets/Sidewalks/Medians so there is a dated record.17
  3. Call Street Maintenance at 623-930-2940 and ask if the road is the city's.18 The city says some roadside land belongs to the county, businesses or others.19
  4. If it is public, plan on 180 days for a notice of claim.20 Grand Avenue is ADOT's road.21 For the City of Glendale, ask the Clerk who accepts it.22

A public agency that turns you down still leaves you only one year to sue.23

How do I protect my claim after a motorcycle wreck in Glendale?

  • Keep the helmet, gloves and jacket as they are. Damage to gear can show how hard you hit.
  • Do not fix the bike until someone has photographed it from every side.
  • Get the report from Glendale Police using the records form or BuyCrash.2425
  • If police impounded the bike, only Glendale Police can release it,26 and storage can run up to $25 a day.27
  • Ask for your trauma records. Banner Thunderbird is listed as Level I, with renewal pending.28

Insurance is often thin. Most Arizona policies start at $25,000 per person.29 A rider's own uninsured coverage may matter more than anything else, and insurers have to offer it in writing.30

What should I ask a motorcycle accident lawyer in Glendale?

  • How do you answer an insurer that blames me for riding without a helmet?
  • Have you handled claims where a rider was filtering between lanes?
  • Who will find out if a city, the county or the state owns the road?
  • What will you do about my uninsured coverage if the driver's limits run out?

A child's deadline usually waits until age 18,31 but do not wait on an adult's two years.5 Skid marks fade and video gets erased long before that.

Questions

Do adults have to wear a helmet in Arizona?

No. The law requires helmets for riders and passengers under 18.4

Is lane splitting legal in Glendale, AZ?

Only between stopped vehicles, when safe, on streets limited to 45 mph or less, and at 15 mph or less.14

Where do I get the report for a motorcycle crash on Loop 101?

From Arizona DPS.3 Wait at least 14 days before you check.32

How long do I have after a motorcycle accident in Glendale?

Generally 2 years to sue.5 For a claim against a public body, notice is due in 180 days.20

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Glendale

Motorcycle accident

Arizona

Sources

  1. A.R.S. § 28-903(A), checked 2026-11-08. “All motorcycles are entitled to the full use of a lane. A person shall not drive a motor vehicle in such a manner as to deprive any motorcycle of the full use of a lane.”
  2. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “If the report you are requesting was the result of a collision that occurred on a town, city or county road, contact the law enforcement agency in that jurisdiction.”
  3. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “maintains records for collisions (accidents) that were investigated by DPS Troopers occurring on an Interstate or State Highway”
  4. A.R.S. § 28-964(A), checked 2026-11-08. “An operator or passenger of a motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle or motor driven cycle who is under eighteen years of age shall wear at all times a protective helmet”
  5. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  6. ADOT, 2024 Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Maricopa | 1,960 | 123 | 1,523 | 314 | 123 | 1,586 |”
  7. ADOT, 2024 Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Motorcycle Crashes | 3,036 2.51% | |”
  8. Maricopa Association of Governments, Top 100 Intersections 2018-2022, checked 2026-11-08. “| 61 Glendale | Glendale | 59TH AVE & NORTHERN AVE | 168 | 0.392 | 0.407 | 0.457 | 0.415 |”
  9. Maricopa Association of Governments, Top 100 Intersections 2018-2022, checked 2026-11-08. “| 97 Glendale | Glendale | 59TH AVE & THUNDERBIRD RD | 149 | 0.347 | 0.382 | 0.326 | 0.359 |”
  10. City of Glendale, Safe Streets for Glendale, checked 2026-11-08. “is developing comprehensive Vision Zero and Safety Action Plans”
  11. A.R.S. § 12-2505(A), checked 2026-11-08. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
  12. A.R.S. § 28-964(A), checked 2026-11-08. “An operator of a motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle or motor driven cycle shall wear at all times protective glasses, goggles or a transparent face shield of a type approved by the director unless the motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle or motor driven cycle is equipped with a protective windshield.”
  13. ADOT, 2024 Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Fatal Injury | 126 | 7.11% | 63 | 12.75% | 26 | 3.11% | 215 | 6.93% |”
  14. A.R.S. § 28-903(F), checked 2026-11-08. “The operator of a two-wheeled motorcycle may overtake and pass another vehicle that is stopped in the same direction of travel and in the same lane as the operator and may operate the motorcycle between lanes of traffic if the movement may be made safely [...] Has a speed limit that does not exceed forty-five miles per hour. 2. Travels at a speed that does not exceed fifteen miles per hour.”
  15. A.R.S. § 12-2505, checked 2026-11-08. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
  16. City of Glendale, Transportation Services, checked 2026-11-08. “Street Maintenance: Average 12,000 pot holes repaired annually”
  17. City of Glendale, Street Maintenance Services, checked 2026-11-08. “When prompted for the issue type, look for Streets/Sidewalks/Medians or simply start typing the issue.”
  18. City of Glendale, More Transportation Services, checked 2026-11-08. “General & all areas unless noted: 623-930-2940”
  19. City of Glendale, Street Maintenance Services, checked 2026-11-08. “Please note that not all roadside areas are maintained by the city, some areas are owned by the county, businesses or other entities.”
  20. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  21. Maricopa Association of Governments, US-60/Grand Avenue COMPASS Study, checked 2026-11-08. “US-60/Grand Avenue is an important facility controlled and maintained by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).”
  22. City of Glendale, City Clerk, checked 2026-11-08. “623-930-2252, Option 1”
  23. A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
  24. Glendale Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “To obtain a copy of a Traffic Accident or Incident Report fill out an online records request form”
  25. Glendale Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “if requesting a Traffic Accident you may also obtain a copy online at www.buycrash.com”
  26. Glendale Police, Towing Administration and Vehicle Impound, checked 2026-11-08. “Only the Glendale Police Department can release your vehicle.”
  27. Glendale Police, Towing Administration and Vehicle Impound, checked 2026-11-08. “Storage fees are limited to a maximum of $25.00 per day.”
  28. Arizona Department of Health Services, Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Banner Thunderbird Medical Center 5555 W. Thunderbird Rd, Glendale, AZ 85306 09/30/22 *09/26/26”
  29. A.R.S. § 28-4009(A)(2)(b), checked 2026-11-08. “(i) $25,000 because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident. (ii) Subject to the limit for one person, $50,000 because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident. (iii) $15,000 because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.”
  30. A.R.S. § 20-259.01(A), checked 2026-11-08. “Every insurer writing automobile liability or motor vehicle liability policies shall make available to the named insured thereunder and by written notice offer the named insured and at the request of the named insured shall include within the policy uninsured motorist coverage”
  31. A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-08. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
  32. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Please wait at least 14 days to check on report availability”

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