Arizona car accident laws make the driver who caused a crash financially responsible for the other party’s injuries and property damage, let you still recover compensation even if you were partly at fault, require every driver to carry at least 25/50/15 in liability insurance, and give you two years to file a lawsuit. Those four rules shape almost every decision you’ll make after a wreck in the state.
Arizona Is an At-Fault State
When a crash happens in Arizona, the at-fault driver pays for the other side’s losses: vehicle repair or replacement, medical bills, and lost income.1Arizona DIFI. Automobile Insurance Who was negligent, and by how much, is the question that drives every claim.
You have three ways to pursue compensation. You can file with your own insurer if you carry collision or comprehensive coverage. You can file a third-party claim directly with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. If neither produces a fair result, you can sue in state court and let a judge or jury decide liability and damages.
Pure Comparative Negligence
Arizona is one of the few states that uses pure comparative negligence. If you share some blame, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you are never completely barred from recovering.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 12-2505 – Comparative Negligence, Definition
Say a jury awards you $100,000 and finds you 30% responsible. Your award drops by $30,000, and you collect $70,000. A driver found 95% at fault can still recover 5% of their damages. Most states cut you off at 50% or 51%, so Arizona is more forgiving than most.
One hard limit: if you intentionally caused or contributed to the crash, you lose the right to comparative recovery entirely.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 12-2505 – Comparative Negligence, Definition The rule protects people who made mistakes, not people who caused harm on purpose.
Required Insurance Coverage
Every vehicle owner in Arizona must carry liability insurance meeting at least:3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-4009 – Motor Vehicle Liability Policy Requirements
- $25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person per accident
- $50,000 for total bodily injury or death when two or more people are hurt in the same accident
- $15,000 for property damage per accident
Those limits (written 25/50/15) are the legal floor. A single serious injury can blow through $25,000 in medical bills alone, so many drivers carry more. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage are optional add-ons that protect you when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little to cover your losses.
Rideshare drivers have different numbers. While logged into an app but waiting for a ride, you need 25/50 bodily injury coverage plus $20,000 property damage. Between accepting a ride and picking up the passenger, the minimum is $250,000 per incident. While a passenger is in the car, it jumps to $1,000,000.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-4038 – Transportation Network Services, Financial Responsibility Requirements Either the driver or the rideshare company can carry the coverage, but proof of insurance must be in the vehicle whenever the app is on.
If You Drive Without Insurance
Getting caught uninsured triggers escalating penalties:5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-4135 – Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Requirement, Civil Penalties
- First violation: minimum $500 civil penalty and a three-month suspension or restriction of your driving privileges.
- Second violation within 36 months: minimum $750 and a six-month suspension of your license and vehicle registration.
- Third or later violation within 36 months: minimum $1,000, a one-year suspension of license and registration, and an SR-22 filing before reinstatement.
If you had valid insurance at the time and can prove it to the court, the citation can be dismissed.
Two Years to File a Lawsuit
Arizona gives you two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, and the same two years to sue for property damage like vehicle repairs.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 12-542 – Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury and Property Damage Wrongful death claims also run two years, but the clock starts on the date of death, which matters when someone survives weeks or months before dying from crash injuries.
Missing the deadline is almost always fatal. The defense will move to dismiss, and the court will grant it. Narrow exceptions can pause the clock, such as when the injured person is a minor or when the at-fault driver leaves the state before suit is filed, but those situations are uncommon. Treat the two years as hard.
What You Have to Do at the Scene
If an accident involves any injury or death, you must stop at the scene (or as close as possible) and stay until you’ve met your duties.7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-661 – Accidents Involving Death or Physical Injuries The same stop-and-stay rule applies to crashes with only vehicle damage.8Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-662 – Accidents Involving Damage to Vehicle, Failure to Stop
Once stopped, give the other driver your name, address, and vehicle registration number, and show your license on request. If someone is hurt, you must provide reasonable assistance, including arranging transportation to a hospital when treatment appears necessary.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-663 – Duty to Give Information and Assistance
Leaving the scene turns a crash into a crime. For vehicle-damage-only crashes, failure to stop is a class 1 misdemeanor and the court can suspend your license for a year.8Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-662 – Accidents Involving Damage to Vehicle, Failure to Stop Leaving a crash with a non-serious injury is a class 5 felony. If the crash caused death or serious physical injury, leaving is a class 3 felony, and if you caused that crash and then fled, it rises to a class 2 felony.7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-661 – Accidents Involving Death or Physical Injuries Failing to exchange information is a class 1 misdemeanor; failing to help an injured person is a class 6 felony.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-663 – Duty to Give Information and Assistance
You don’t have to file your own report with the state. Any officer who investigates a crash involving injury, death, or property damage over $2,000 must file a written report within 24 hours of completing the investigation.10Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-667 – Written Accident Report, Definition Call law enforcement after any serious crash. That report becomes key evidence in a later claim or lawsuit.
What You Can Recover
Arizona does not cap personal injury damages. The state constitution forbids any law limiting what a person can recover for injury or death, so there is no statutory ceiling on jury awards.
Economic damages cover losses with a dollar figure: medical bills, future medical treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and vehicle repair or replacement. Non-economic damages compensate for harm that doesn’t come with a receipt, such as physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of daily life.
Punitive damages are possible but rare. You must show by clear and convincing evidence that the other driver’s conduct was outrageous and reflected a conscious disregard for the safety of others. A driver who ran a red light generally will not qualify. A drunk driver street racing at twice the speed limit might.
Diminished Value
A vehicle that’s been repaired after a crash often sells for less than it would have otherwise. Arizona lets the not-at-fault driver pursue a diminished value claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance for that loss. The state has no official formula; courts look at the market value immediately before the crash compared with the value after repairs, and independent appraisals carry weight. The same two-year statute of limitations for property damage applies, so get a valuation early.