Torrance has a population of nearly 140,000. For a city of this size, it has a remarkably good bicycle safety record. According to California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), the city only averages about 30 bicycle accidents annually that cause injury or death.

This statistic is even more notable because Torrance has some of Los Angeles County’s most popular bikeways. Bike lanes on the Pacific Coast Highway and Torrance Blvd. lead to Torrance County Beach, while those on Anza Ave. connect the city to North Redondo. The city has more bikeways planned to provide even better and safer routes for cyclists. 

Here is an overview of the current safety outlook and infrastructure of this vibrant city.

Torrance Bicycle Accident Statistics

In 2023, Torrance had 26 collisions between bicycles and motor vehicles that caused injury or death. Over the past five years, the city’s annual crash count has varied from 23 in 2020 to 43 in 2022. Of the 26 incidents where a motor vehicle hit a bicycle, three involved a child or teenager.

The city has a relatively low number of crashes for the region. According to TIMS, Los Angeles County had 1,688 bike crashes that caused injury or death in 2023. Only 1.5% of those collisions happened in Torrance. The City of Los Angeles led both the county and state in 2023 with 353 bicycle accidents involving injuries or fatalities.

Bike Crash Outcomes in Torrance

TIMS only reports bicycle crashes that result in injury or death. Specifically, its numbers do not include the number of accidents where the cyclist was able to walk away uninjured from a collision with a motor vehicle.

According to TIMS, bicycle crashes in Torrance in 2023 caused the following:

  • No fatal injuries
  • One serious injury that incapacitated the cyclist and required an ambulance
  • 25 minor or suspected injuries that did not incapacitate the rider

In the past ten years, Torrance has only had two cyclist fatalities. One occurred in 2017, while the other happened in 2018. Both of these fatal accidents involved an adult rider.

Where Bike Collisions Occur

Bicycle crashes tend to happen on the city’s busiest roads. These roads are the least forgiving of careless driving. On busy roads, a collision could result when a car drifts into a bike lane or a rider darts into traffic. These actions are much less likely to result in an accident on unused roads.

The following locations may have a high risk of bicycle crashes in Torrance:

  • Hawthorne Blvd.
  • Sepulveda Blvd. between Hawthorne Blvd. and Western Ave.
  • Pacific Coast Highway between Anza Ave. and Hawthorne Blvd.
  • Torrance Blvd. between Madrona Ave. and Prospect Ave.
  • The intersection of Crenshaw Blvd. and Artesia Blvd.

These locations have heavy traffic. Many of these roads and intersections also lack bicycle infrastructure, such as bikeways, to protect riders from motor vehicle traffic.

Common Causes of Torrance Bike Crashes

Bicycle collisions almost always result from driving or bicycling errors. The most common driving errors happen when drivers fail to spot bicycles on the road or refuse to respect the rider’s space. On the other hand, common bicycling errors usually involve erratic or unpredictable maneuvering, such as suddenly swerving to the left to reach a left turn lane.

Some causes of vehicle-bicycle collisions in Torrance include failing to yield, passing unsafely, and driving while distracted.

Failing To Yield the Right of Way

Riders and drivers both contribute to intersection accidents with two common behaviors. First, drivers often fail to yield to cyclists because they don’t see them or want to wait for them. By going out of turn, these drivers can hit cyclists who have the right of way.

Second, riders may run red lights or stop signs to maintain their momentum and reduce their risk of a rear-end collision. By disobeying the sign or signal, riders can unexpectedly put themselves in the path of cross traffic.

Calbike, a bicyclist advocacy organization, has pushed California lawmakers for several years to adopt the stop-as-yield rule, also called the Idaho stop rule. Under this rule, cyclists are not required to stop at stop signs. Instead, they treat stop signs as yields and only stop when they see cross-traffic at the intersection. So far, the state has not adopted the stop-as-yield rule.

Passing Unsafely

Another common cause of collisions between cars and bicycles happens when drivers try to overtake riders. Even when bicycles are in a marked bike lane, cars can crowd them while passing. They can either sideswipe the bicycle or cause a near-miss, forcing the rider off the road or into the curb.

Distracted or Inattentive Driving

Distracted driving prevents a driver from spotting cyclists or reacting in time to avoid a collision with them. For example, at just 25 miles per hour, a car travels over 100 feet in less than three seconds. Even at low speeds, a driver could hit a cyclist during a brief moment of daydreaming or glancing at their phone.

Bicycle Infrastructure in Torrance

California law defines four types of bikeways:

  • Class I, also called bike paths, only permit non-motorized traffic
  • Class II, called bike lanes, are identified by painted lines on shared roads
  • Class III, or bike routes, are identified by signs on shared roads
  • Class IV, also called cycle tracks, separate bike and motor vehicle traffic with barriers

Torrance has two types of bikeways. Class II bike lanes run along several of the city’s busiest roads, including Torrance Blvd. and a segment of the Pacific Coast Highway. It has bike routes on several other roads as well, such as Madrona Ave. and Sepulveda Blvd. Unfortunately, Torrance does not offer the more protective Class I or IV bikeways.

L.A. Metro accommodates bicycles on its buses that run through Torrance. When riders need to travel longer distances or into areas with heavy traffic congestion, they can place their bicycles in bike racks on Metro’s buses.

Riding Your Bike Safely in Torrance, California

Torrance has relatively safe roads for bicyclists. The crash numbers are below those of many L.A. County cities, and the city has not seen a cyclist fatality in six years. Additionally, Torrance has infrastructure to help riders along many of its busiest routes. By understanding where crashes happen and planning a route that uses bikeways, riders can navigate the city safely.