Find a bicycle accident lawyer in Tempe: who pays and what to save
Tempe Police handle bike crashes on city streets. City code says a driver crossing a sidewalk must give riders the right-of-way. You generally have 2 years to sue a driver in Arizona. If a city street problem caused your crash, file with the City Clerk within 180 days.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (43)
How common are serious bike crashes in Tempe?
Tempe's safety plan counted 538 crashes involving a bicyclist from fiscal 2020 to 2024. Of those, 44 killed or seriously hurt someone. That works out to 8 to 10 bad crashes a year. Eight were deaths and 36 were serious injuries.
Two of every five bike crashes happened between 6 p.m. and midnight. Tempe has more than 220 miles of bikeways, so plenty of riders are out after dark, including people heading home from work and class. Countywide, 2024 brought 991 bicycle crashes and 27 riders killed.
One detail matters for your claim. Reports labeled 67% of Tempe bike crashes as other or unknown crash types. So do not assume the report tells your story. Read yours closely. If the diagram or the description is wrong, ask Tempe Police Records how to add a correction before an insurer relies on it.
Who had the right of way in my Tempe bike crash?
| What happened | The rule | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| A car rolled over the sidewalk leaving a driveway | The driver may cross only to enter or leave the road, and must give riders the right-of-way. | Tempe itself warns that drivers do this to see traffic. |
| A car passed too close | At least 3 feet until safely past. | Ask witnesses how close it was. Few reports measure it. |
| You left a path or sidewalk and entered the street | You must yield to all traffic on that road. | Expect the insurer to raise this. |
| You rode against traffic | Riders must go the direction traffic goes on that side, unless signs allow both ways. | Tempe says wrong-way sidewalk riding raises the risk. |
| You passed people on a sidewalk | No more than 10 mph, and 5 mph when passing. | These limits are from July 2026. |
A person on a bike has the same basic rights and duties as a driver. Breaking one of these rules does not end your case. Arizona cuts what you get by your share of the blame. If you were 20% at fault, your award drops by 20%.
Who pays after a car hits my bike in Tempe?
- The driver's liability insurer comes first. Arizona's minimum is $25,000 per person, which a hospital stay can use up fast.
- Your own auto policy may help if the driver had no insurance or too little. Insurers must offer that coverage in writing, and it reaches all persons insured under the policy. Check your policy even if you were on a bike, not in your car.
- If the driver fled and never touched you, you need extra proof such as a witness.
- A public agency may be responsible if a road defect or broken path caused the fall. Falls are the most common kind of bike crash, and crashes with cars are the most serious.
What should I do in the first week after a Tempe bike crash?
- Call 911 if anyone is hurt. For a later report, the Tempe Police non-emergency line is 480-350-8311. Ask for the GO number.
- Photograph the bike, the driveway or lane, and your injuries. Keep a copy of your bike's serial number, because police advise it and it helps prove what was damaged.
- Ask police about video the same week. Tempe's operations center links hundreds of traffic and park cameras, and police can review them after a crash.
- Buy your report on BuyCrash once it is posted, or ask Records at 120 E. 5th Street.
- If Tempe Fire treated you, request the patient care report through the city's records system.
- Do not repair or throw away the bike or helmet until someone has looked at them.
How long do I have after a bike accident in Tempe?
| Claim against | Deadline | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| A driver or private company | 2 years to sue | Maricopa County courts. Disputes under $50,000 go to compulsory arbitration in superior court. |
| City of Tempe, for a road or path | 180 days for the claim, then 1 year to sue | City Clerk, 31 E. 5th Street, 2nd Floor. Book hand delivery at 480-350-8242. |
| ASU, for a campus path | 180 days | The Arizona Board of Regents in Phoenix, because ASU cannot accept a notice of claim. |
| A rider under 18 | Usually starts at adulthood | Ask early. Public claims have their own rules. |
A report of a broken path goes to Transportation Maintenance at 480-350-8219. That report helps others, but it does not count as your legal claim.
What should I ask a bicycle accident lawyer in Tempe?
- Have you handled crashes under Tempe's July 2026 bike and e-bike rules?
- Will you ask for traffic camera video this week?
- Could my own auto policy pay here, and how much does it cover?
- Does any part of my claim involve the city or ASU, and who files by the 180-day deadline?
- How would shared fault change what I could expect?
Questions
Can I ride my bike on the sidewalk in Tempe?
Adults must ride in the street when the limit is 25 mph or lower. They may use the sidewalk if there is no bike lane and the limit is over 25 mph.
Do I need a helmet to ride a bike in Tempe?
Riders under 18 must wear one. Tempe's rule does not require it of adults, but an insurer may still ask whether you wore one.
Where do I get the report for a bike crash on the ASU campus?
ASU Police Records can help, at 480-965-5645.
Bicycle accident in Tempe? See if you are owed money.
A free case review. $0 upfront. No fee unless you win.
See if I’m owed moneySources (43)
- 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.”
- Tempe City Code, Sec. 7-53, checked 2026-11-09. “No person shall drive a vehicle upon or across a sidewalk except to enter or leave the roadway and only after giving the right-of-way to all bicycles”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- City of Tempe, Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “claims must be filed with the City Clerk's Office within 180 days after the cause of action accrues”
- Tempe Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “You will need the Tempe Police Department report number (GO#), date of accident, and a valid credit card”
- A.R.S. § 28-735(A), checked 2026-11-08. “When overtaking and passing a bicycle proceeding in the same direction, a person driving a motor vehicle shall exercise due care by leaving a safe distance between the motor vehicle and the bicycle of not less than three feet until the motor vehicle is safely past the overtaken bicycle.”
- City of Tempe, Safety Action Plan (final, October 2026), checked 2026-11-08. “Bicyclist-involved 538 3.0% 44 10.9%”
- Tempe Safety Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “consistent across the study period, ranging from 8 to 10 crashes per year”
- Tempe Safety Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “Fatal (K) 24 24 8 23 75”
- Tempe Safety Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “Serious Injury (A) 134 88 36 65 317”
- City of Tempe, Safety Action Plan (final, October 2026), checked 2026-11-08. “the evening and late at night; more than half of pedestrian”
- City of Tempe, Bicycle & Pedestrian Info, checked 2026-11-08. “over 220 miles of bikeways”
- ADOT 2024 Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “Maricopa 991 27 964 27 973”
- Tempe Safety Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “74 percent of pedestrian-involved crashes and 67 percent of bicyclist”
- City of Tempe, Bike and Scooter Safety, checked 2026-11-08. “Motorists exiting driveways often drive across the sidewalk to get a better view of traffic”
- Tempe City Code, Sec. 7-52, checked 2026-11-09. “that is about to enter or cross a roadway shall yield the right-of-way to all traffic on such roadway”
- Tempe City Code, Sec. 7-52, checked 2026-11-09. “in any direction except that permitted by vehicular traffic on the same side of the roadway”
- City of Tempe, Bike and Scooter Safety, checked 2026-11-08. “That risk increases even more when riding on the sidewalk against the flow of traffic.”
- City of Tempe, Bike and Scooter Safety, checked 2026-11-08. “When riding on a sidewalk, riders cannot exceed 10 mph and must slow down to 5 mph to pass pedestrians.”
- City of Tempe, Bike and Scooter Safety, checked 2026-11-08. “These new rules went into effect on Saturday, July 25”
- A.R.S. § 28-812(A), checked 2026-11-08. “A person riding a bicycle on a roadway or on a shoulder adjoining a roadway is granted all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle”
- 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”
- 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.”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 20-259.01, checked 2026-11-09. “uninsured motorist coverage that extends to and covers all persons insured under the policy”
- A.R.S. § 20-259.01(M), checked 2026-11-08. “If an insured makes a bodily injury or death claim under uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage based on an accident that involved an unidentified motor vehicle and no physical contact with the motor vehicle occurred, the insured shall provide corroboration that the unidentified motor vehicle caused the accident.”
- NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “There are two main types of crashes: the most common (falls), and the most serious (the ones with cars).”
- City of Tempe, Tempe 311, checked 2026-11-08. “For a police non-emergency, please call 480-350-8311.”
- Tempe Police, Bicycle and Scooter Registration, checked 2026-11-09. “Keep a copy of the serial numbers.”
- City of Tempe, Vision Zero, checked 2026-11-08. “so that police can easily review footage to determine what occurred at traffic incidents”
- Tempe Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Accident reports approved for public release are available online from November 1, 2021 to the present.”
- Tempe Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Tempe Police Department – Records 120 E. 5th Street Tempe, AZ 85281 Lobby Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.”
- Tempe Fire Medical Rescue, Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Record requests by phone 480-858-7262”
- Maricopa County Superior Court, Arbitration, checked 2026-11-08. “Compulsory Arbitration is a mandatory program for disputes valued under $50,000.”
- A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
- City of Tempe, Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “City of Tempe City Clerk's Office 31 E. 5th Street, 2nd Floor Tempe, AZ 85281”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- Arizona Board of Regents, Service of Process, checked 2026-11-08. “are not authorized to accept service of lawsuits or notices of claim”
- 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”
- Tempe Police, Traffic Complaint Tipline, checked 2026-11-08. “please contact Transportation Maintenance at 480-350-8219”
- City of Tempe, Bike and Scooter Safety, checked 2026-11-08. “Must ride in the street when the speed limit is 25 mph or below.”
- City of Tempe, Bike and Scooter Safety, checked 2026-11-08. “May ride on the sidewalk if there is no bike lane available and the speed limit is greater than 25 mph.”
- City of Tempe, Bike and Scooter Safety, checked 2026-11-08. “Riders under the age of 18 are required to wear a helmet if operating a bike, e-bike, or scooter.”
- ASU Police Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Standard fees apply to accident reports.”