Attorney Michael Rehm — (800) 978-0754

Bicyclist fatalities in Alameda County: 2 in 2020. 4 in 2021. 5 in 2022. 7 in 2023. 8 in 2024. Source: UC Berkeley SafeTREC, Transportation Injury Mapping System, Alameda County 2020–2024, tims.berkeley.edu. On Oakland's streets specifically, bicyclist fatalities reached 6 in 2024 — the highest single-year figure in Oakland's five-year recorded dataset. City of Oakland, Monitoring Traffic Deaths in Oakland, oaklandca.gov.

Attorney Michael Rehm handles bicycle accident cases throughout Oakland and Alameda County, including crashes caused by driver negligence, dooring incidents, road defects, and hit-and-run collisions where the at-fault driver fled the scene.

Oakland Bicycle Crash Data

Oakland ranked eighth out of 15 comparable California cities for bicycle crashes in 2023, with 100 victims killed or injured on local streets. Source: California Office of Traffic Safety, Crash Rankings 2023, ots.ca.gov. At the county level, Alameda County ranked 26th out of 58 California counties for total bicycle crash victims (464 in 2023) and 15th out of 58 for child bicyclist fatalities. California Office of Traffic Safety, County Rankings 2023.

The nearly quadrupled fatality rate between 2020 and 2024 countywide coincides with the period of I-880 commercial traffic growth and the expansion of the AC Transit Tempo BRT line on International Boulevard — a corridor that the Oakland Department of Transportation identifies on its bicycle-specific High Injury Network layer. The cause of the increase is not established in a single source, but the trend is consistent and verifiable across five consecutive years of UC Berkeley TIMS data.

Oakland ranked first out of 15 comparable cities for hit-and-run crashes in 2023 — 499 fatal and injury crashes where a driver fled. California Office of Traffic Safety, Crash Rankings 2023. Hit-and-run is a particular risk for cyclists: the low profile of a bicycle and the speed differential with motor vehicles mean that some drivers who strike cyclists are not even aware they have done so, while others flee deliberately. When the driver cannot be identified, the cyclist's own uninsured motorist coverage becomes the primary recovery source.

The Oakland Bicycle High Injury Network

Oakland's 2024 High Injury Network includes 21 corridor segments on the bicycle-specific layer, identified from crash data between 2017 and 2021. Source: Oakland Department of Transportation, HIN2024_Bike layer, OakGIS feature service, oaklandca.gov. Those corridors include: 35th Avenue, 55th Avenue, 7th Street, Bancroft Avenue, Broadway, Foothill Boulevard, Fruitvale Avenue, Grand Avenue, Harrison Street, International Boulevard, Lakeshore Avenue, MacArthur Boulevard, Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Ron Cowan Parkway, San Pablo Avenue, Shattuck Avenue, Telegraph Avenue, and West Grand Avenue.

A crash on any of these corridors may support a claim against the City of Oakland under Government Code § 835 if the crash involved a dangerous condition of the roadway that the city knew about or should have known about. The published HIN is documented evidence of that knowledge for the corridors it names. Whether that notice is legally sufficient in a specific case requires analysis of the particular condition and how the crash occurred.

Legal Framework for Bicycle Accident Claims

A cyclist in California has the same rights and duties as a driver of a motor vehicle while operating on a roadway. Vehicle Code § 21200. Drivers owe cyclists the same duty of ordinary care owed to other road users. Civil Code § 1714. Vehicle Code § 21760 requires drivers to provide a minimum three-foot passing clearance when overtaking a cyclist. Failure to maintain that clearance is both a statutory violation and evidence of breach.

Dooring — a driver or passenger opening a vehicle door into the path of an oncoming cyclist — is governed by Vehicle Code § 22517, which prohibits opening a door on the traffic side of a vehicle without first determining it can be done safely. A dooring crash creates liability for the person who opened the door, and potentially for the driver if the vehicle was parked in an unsafe location.

California's pure comparative fault rule applies. Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804. A cyclist who was not wearing a helmet or who was riding on a sidewalk may have their recovery reduced by their percentage of fault — but not eliminated. The defense will raise comparative fault aggressively in bicycle cases. What the cyclist was doing at the moment of impact, whether they were visible, and whether they were following applicable traffic laws are all relevant.

Damages include economic losses under Civil Code § 3333 — medical expenses limited to amounts paid or owed under Howell v. Hamilton Meats & Provisions, Inc. (2011) 52 Cal.4th 541, lost earnings, future care — and noneconomic losses including pain and suffering under CACI 3905A. Bicycle crashes frequently cause traumatic brain injuries, orthopedic injuries, and road rash injuries that require extended treatment.

The statute of limitations is two years from the date of the crash. Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. This deadline can potentially bar a claim if missed.

Hit-and-Run Bicycle Crashes

When the at-fault driver cannot be identified, uninsured motorist coverage under Insurance Code § 11580.2 is the primary recovery source. For hit-and-run claims, most standard policies require either physical contact between the unidentified vehicle and the cyclist, or a corroborating witness. A cyclist who does not own a vehicle may be covered under a household member's auto policy as a resident relative. Whether that coverage applies and in what amount requires review of the specific policy.

When the City of Oakland May Be Liable

A bicycle crash caused by a road defect — a pothole, cracked pavement, debris, missing lane marking, or failed signal — on a city-maintained street may support a claim against the City of Oakland under Government Code § 835. The six-month government claims deadline applies. Government Code § 911.2. Written claim: Oakland City Attorney's Office, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612.

Related Pages

• Oakland Personal Injury Attorney
• Oakland Pedestrian Accident Attorney
• Oakland Car Accident Attorney
• Oakland Uninsured Motorist Attorney
• Oakland Wrongful Death Attorney

Attorney Michael Rehm handles bicycle accident cases throughout Oakland and Alameda County on a contingency fee basis. No fee without a recovery. Call (800) 978-0754 to arrange a free consultation.

The information on this page is general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts. The law can change — statutes are amended, cases are decided, and regulations are revised; nothing on this page should be relied upon as a statement of current law without verification. Deadlines and legal bars discussed on this page are general guides — whether a particular deadline applies, has run, or is subject to tolling, and whether a particular doctrine bars or limits recovery in your case, requires individual analysis. Contact Attorney Michael Rehm to discuss the specific facts of your situation.