A man riding a bicycle mid-block was struck by a car near Scottsdale and McKellips roads in Tempe and hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, according to police. The driver remained at the scene following the crash. Investigators shut down Scottsdale Road at Hancock Avenue while they worked the scene.
Tempe police have released no other details about the crash, including what led up to the collision, as 12News first reported. The outlet said it would update its coverage as more information becomes available.
Arizona law requires drivers overtaking a bicycle traveling in the same direction to leave at least three feet of space until safely past. The rule applies to that passing situation; police have not described how the Tempe collision occurred, so the available details do not establish whether it is relevant to this crash. Arizona’s three-foot passing law also sets civil penalties when a violation results in serious injury or death.
A Cyclist Injured in Scottsdale
A cyclist was hospitalized with potentially life-threatening injuries after a collision with a vehicle at Black Cross Road and Lone Mountain in Scottsdale on Wednesday. Authorities closed the intersection while they investigated. The Scottsdale collision occurred at a different location from the Tempe crash.
Nearby Scottsdale Road Project
Just blocks from where the crash happened, Tempe recently finished a project on a 1.2-mile stretch of Scottsdale Road between Continental Drive and Curry Road, according to ktar.com.
Bicycle safety has been a long-running concern on Tempe streets. Arizona Bike Law's collision database lists 16 fatal bicyclist crashes in Tempe from 2009 through 2024, with 2025 data still partial, and separately counts four bicyclists killed in city-street collisions during the five-year span from 2010 to 2014. The same database records a fatal crash in April 2024 at Scottsdale Road and Curry Road, where a westbound cyclist who did not use a crosswalk was struck by a southbound driver.
The Tempe crashes listed in the article sit within a broader statewide toll: Arizona recorded 1,379 bicycle crashes in 2024, including 44 fatal crashes in which 44 bicyclists died. The Arizona Department of Transportation also reported that 2024 brought a five-year high in crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists. Those statewide figures provide context, but do not indicate what caused this collision. ADOT’s 2024 crash statistics break out bicycle crashes and fatalities.
City-level crash data on the broader trend remains limited for the current year. Tempe's own performance-measure dataset, which tracks high-severity vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian crashes citywide, notes that its 2026 figures are incomplete and will be updated as additional records come in.
Tempe adopted its Vision Zero Action Plan in 2019, committing to reduce fatal and serious-injury crashes to zero. In the five years from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2025, the city counted 392 fatal and serious-injury crashes: 75 fatal crashes and 317 serious-injury crashes. The totals cover all modes and locations across Tempe, not just bicyclists or Scottsdale Road. Tempe’s transportation plan presents the figures as part of the city’s safety goals.
No further details about the Tempe crash, including the bicyclist's current condition or any citations issued, have been released. Hoodline will update this story if Tempe police share additional information.
