Safe Streets Map
Last updated · Source: CCRS (data.ca.gov), FARS for fatal crashes

Bike crash statistics and hotspots in City Heights, San Diego

109 bike crashes were reported in City Heights from 2021–2026, 5 of them serious or fatal: 7% of the bike crashes on the map in San Diego. Below are the spots where they keep happening, what usually goes wrong at each one, and what to watch for.
bike crashes, 2021–2026
109
bike crashes, 2021–2026
serious or fatal
5
serious or fatal
fatal
0
fatal
street with the most
University Ave
street with the most
Open City Heights on the cycling mapOpen City Heights on the cycling map
1–5: the spots with the most bike crashes, explained below. Map © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap.
Open City Heights on the mapPedestrian crash hotspots in City Heights(194 crashes)All of San Diego(1,668 crashes)

Is City Heights safe to ride a bike?

This page covers traffic crashes, not crime. We don't rate neighborhoods as safe or unsafe: crash counts can't say how risky a street is, and busy streets have more crashes partly because more people use them. What the records show: 109 bike crashes were reported in City Heights from 2021–2026, 5 of them serious or fatal. The most were at University Ave & 47th St (10). 33% were side-impact crashes at junctions (drivers pulling out or turning across). 11% were sideswipes (close passes, right hooks, car doors).

City Heights here is the City of San Diego's City Heights community planning area; its edges may differ from where residents put the neighborhood.

Where to look next

How people on bikes get hit in City Heights

  • 33% were side-impact crashes at junctions (drivers pulling out or turning across).
  • 11% were sideswipes (close passes, right hooks, car doors).
  • 28% happened after dark.
  • 19% were hit-and-run.

What the reports show about bike crashes in City Heights

  • 28% (California: 21%) of crashes happened after dark.
  • 5% (California: 13%) left someone seriously hurt or killed.
  • The busiest hour was 4 p.m. (California: 3 p.m.).

Set against all bike crashes in California, 2021–2026. Without traffic counts these can't say how risky a street is.

Where bike crashes cluster

Spots with 3 or more reported crashes within about 250 m, worst first.

  1. 0110 crashes

    University Ave & 47th St

    A mix of crash types

    50% happened after dark.

    • No single crash pattern stands out here. Slow down, stay visible, and leave extra room.
    • Use a front and rear light, even on lit streets.
    See it on the map
  2. 027 crashes · 1 serious or fatal

    University Ave & Fairmount Ave

    Side-impact crashes at the junction

    4 of 7 crashes were broadside: a vehicle hit at an angle, usually a driver pulling out of a side street or driveway, turning across, or running the signal. 29% were hit-and-run.

    • Slow down approaching the junction, watch drivers' front wheels at side streets and driveways, and don't assume a driver waiting to turn has seen you.
    See it on the map
  3. 037 crashes

    University Ave & 39th St

    A mix of crash types

    43% happened after dark.

    • No single crash pattern stands out here. Slow down, stay visible, and leave extra room.
    • Use a front and rear light, even on lit streets.
    See it on the map
  4. 046 crashes

    University Ave & 54th St

    A mix of crash types

    • No single crash pattern stands out here. Slow down, stay visible, and leave extra room.
    See it on the map
  5. 056 crashes

    El Cajon Blvd & Highland Ave

    Side-impact crashes at the junction

    3 of 6 crashes were broadside: a vehicle hit at an angle, usually a driver pulling out of a side street or driveway, turning across, or running the signal.

    • Slow down approaching the junction, watch drivers' front wheels at side streets and driveways, and don't assume a driver waiting to turn has seen you.
    See it on the map
  6. 066 crashes

    43rd St & Orange Ave

    Side-impact crashes at the junction

    5 of 6 crashes were broadside: a vehicle hit at an angle, usually a driver pulling out of a side street or driveway, turning across, or running the signal.

    • Slow down approaching the junction, watch drivers' front wheels at side streets and driveways, and don't assume a driver waiting to turn has seen you.
    See it on the map
  7. 074 crashes · 1 serious or fatal

    University Ave & Winona Ave

    Side-impact crashes at the junction

    2 of 4 crashes were broadside: a vehicle hit at an angle, usually a driver pulling out of a side street or driveway, turning across, or running the signal.

    • Slow down approaching the junction, watch drivers' front wheels at side streets and driveways, and don't assume a driver waiting to turn has seen you.
    See it on the map
  8. 085 crashes

    Fairmont Ave & Landis St

    A mix of crash types

    40% were hit-and-run.

    • No single crash pattern stands out here. Slow down, stay visible, and leave extra room.
    See it on the map
  9. 093 crashes · 1 serious or fatal

    43rd St & Dwight St

    A mix of crash types

    67% happened after dark.

    • No single crash pattern stands out here. Slow down, stay visible, and leave extra room.
    • Use a front and rear light, even on lit streets.
    See it on the map
  10. 104 crashes

    University Ave & 52nd St

    Riders hit from behind

    2 of 4 crashes were rear-end: hit from behind. 50% happened after dark. 50% were hit-and-run.

    • Run a bright rear light day and night, and ride where drivers see you early rather than tucked into the gutter. A mirror or rear radar helps.
    • Use a front and rear light, even on lit streets.
    See it on the map

Streets with the most bike crashes in City Heights

StreetCrashesSerious/fatal
University Ave281
El Cajon Blvd100
Fairmount Ave81
Orange Ave80
Euclid Ave60
Polk Ave40
Wightman St30

Reported bike crashes, 2021–2026, counted by the street each police report names first, so a crash at a corner counts toward one of its two streets. Long, busy streets collect more crashes partly because more people use them.

Bike crashes in City Heights by year

YearCrashesSerious/fatal
2021110
2022132
2023180
2024200
2025231
2026242

Common questions about City Heights

Where do the most bike crashes happen in City Heights?
The worst spot is University Ave & 47th St, with 10 reported bike crashes from 2021–2026. Next are University Ave & Fairmount Ave (7) and University Ave & 39th St (7).
How many cyclists were killed in City Heights?
No deaths were reported in 109 reported bike crashes in City Heights from 2021–2026, and 5 left someone seriously hurt or killed.
How do cyclists usually get hit in City Heights?
33% were side-impact crashes at junctions (drivers pulling out or turning across). 11% were sideswipes (close passes, right hooks, car doors). 28% happened after dark. 19% were hit-and-run.
How does City Heights compare with the rest of San Diego?
City Heights had 109 of the 1,668 bike crashes on the map in San Diego, 2021–2026 (7%). That is a count, not a rate: a neighborhood with more people walking, shops and through traffic has more crashes without being riskier for each person. City Heights here is the City of San Diego's City Heights community planning area; its edges may differ from where residents put the neighborhood.
Which streets in City Heights have the most bike crashes?
University Ave (28), El Cajon Blvd (10), Fairmount Ave (8), Orange Ave (8), Euclid Ave (6), counted by the street each police report names first.

Nearby neighborhoods in San Diego

North Park84Kensington-Talmadge23Eastern Area30Normal Heights21Encanto Neighborhoods24Southeastern San Diego67College Area25Barrio Logan30All neighborhoods

Source: California Crash Reporting System (CCRS), 2021–2026. A crash counts toward the neighborhood whose outline holds its point. 108 of the 109 crashes here had no coordinates on the report and were placed at the intersection its street names give. Reports with neither coordinates nor usable street names aren't on the map, so these numbers are lower than the real total. Busy streets show more crashes partly because more people use them. Outline: City of San Diego, Community Planning Districts. Data last rebuilt 2026-10-07. How the data works.