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

Bike crash statistics and hotspots in Uptown, San Diego

74 bike crashes were reported in Uptown from 2021–2026, 7 of them serious or fatal: 4% 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
74
bike crashes, 2021–2026
serious or fatal
7
serious or fatal
fatal
0
fatal
street with the most
University Ave
street with the most
Open Uptown on the cycling mapOpen Uptown on the cycling map
1–5: the spots with the most bike crashes, explained below. Map © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap.
Open Uptown on the mapPedestrian crash hotspots in Uptown(113 crashes)All of San Diego(1,668 crashes)

Is Uptown 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: 74 bike crashes were reported in Uptown from 2021–2026, 7 of them serious or fatal. The most were at University Ave & 7th Ave (10). 36% were side-impact crashes at junctions (drivers pulling out or turning across). 12% were sideswipes (close passes, right hooks, car doors).

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

Where to look next

How people on bikes get hit in Uptown

  • 36% were side-impact crashes at junctions (drivers pulling out or turning across).
  • 12% were sideswipes (close passes, right hooks, car doors).
  • 18% happened after dark.

What the reports show about bike crashes in Uptown

  • 18% (California: 21%) of crashes happened after dark.
  • 9% (California: 13%) left someone seriously hurt or killed.
  • The busiest hour was 3 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 · 1 serious or fatal

    University Ave & 7th Ave

    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
  2. 026 crashes

    1st Ave & University Ave

    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
  3. 034 crashes · 1 serious or fatal

    Laurel St & Columbia St

    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. 50% happened after dark.

    • 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.
    • Use a front and rear light, even on lit streets.
    See it on the map
  4. 045 crashes

    Robinson Ave & Vermont St

    Side-impact crashes at the junction

    2 of 5 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. 40% happened after dark.

    • 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.
    • Use a front and rear light, even on lit streets.
    See it on the map
  5. 055 crashes

    4th Ave & Kalmia 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
  6. 063 crashes · 1 serious or fatal

    6th Ave & Hawthorn 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
  7. 074 crashes

    Washington St & San Diego 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. 75% happened after dark.

    • 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.
    • Use a front and rear light, even on lit streets.
    See it on the map
  8. 083 crashes

    5th Ave & Pennsylvania Ave

    A mix of crash types

    67% 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

    Washington St & Dove 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
  10. 103 crashes

    University Ave & Richmond 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

Streets with the most bike crashes in Uptown

StreetCrashesSerious/fatal
University Ave90
Washington St80
5th Ave80
Robinson Ave51
Laurel St41
4th Ave40
1st Ave31
6th Ave30

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 Uptown by year

YearCrashesSerious/fatal
2021162
2022182
2023131
2024110
2025101
202661

Common questions about Uptown

Where do the most bike crashes happen in Uptown?
The worst spot is University Ave & 7th Ave, with 10 reported bike crashes from 2021–2026, 1 of them serious or fatal. Next are 1st Ave & University Ave (6) and Laurel St & Columbia St (4).
How many cyclists were killed in Uptown?
No deaths were reported in 74 reported bike crashes in Uptown from 2021–2026, and 7 left someone seriously hurt or killed.
How do cyclists usually get hit in Uptown?
36% were side-impact crashes at junctions (drivers pulling out or turning across). 12% were sideswipes (close passes, right hooks, car doors). 18% happened after dark.
How does Uptown compare with the rest of San Diego?
Uptown had 74 of the 1,668 bike crashes on the map in San Diego, 2021–2026 (4%). 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. Uptown here is the City of San Diego's Uptown community planning area; its edges may differ from where residents put the neighborhood.
Which streets in Uptown have the most bike crashes?
University Ave (9), Washington St (8), 5th Ave (8), Robinson Ave (5), Laurel St (4), counted by the street each police report names first.

Nearby neighborhoods in San Diego

Midway-Pacific Highway43Old Town San Diego21Downtown179Mission Valley26North Park84Linda Vista25Normal Heights21City Heights109All neighborhoods

Source: California Crash Reporting System (CCRS), 2021–2026. A crash counts toward the neighborhood whose outline holds its point. 74 of the 74 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.