Arizona Rules of the Road: Speeding, DUI, and Right-of-Way

The Arizona rules of the road cover how fast you can drive, who yields to whom, when you can touch your phone, what counts as a DUI, and what insurance you must carry, with penalties that range from a small civil fine to felony prison time. The state is strict about impaired driving in particular: even a first conviction carries mandatory jail. The sections below walk through the rules you are most likely to encounter and what each one costs if you get it wrong.

Speed Limits and Criminal Speeding

Arizona has no single statewide speed limit. The law requires you to drive at a speed that is “reasonable and prudent” for the conditions, so rain, traffic, or poor visibility can require you to go below the posted number.¹ When no sign is posted, the defaults are 25 mph in residential and business districts and 65 mph on rural interstates, with some rural interstate stretches posted at 75 mph.² School zones drop to 15 mph when signs show school is in session and children are present.

Most speeding is a civil infraction. Cross certain thresholds and it becomes a class 3 misdemeanor under A.R.S. 28-701.02:

Exceeding 35 mph approaching a school crossing.
Exceeding the posted limit by more than 20 mph in a business or residential district, or going faster than 45 mph where no limit is posted.
Exceeding the posted limit by more than 20 mph anywhere else.

A class 3 misdemeanor means a criminal record and possible jail time. If you are charged with criminal speeding, the state cannot also hit you with a civil speeding ticket from the same stop.³

Who Yields to Whom

At an uncontrolled intersection where two vehicles arrive at roughly the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right. At an uncontrolled T-intersection, the driver on the terminating road yields to the through road regardless of side.⁴

A driver turning left must yield to oncoming traffic that is in the intersection or close enough to be a hazard.⁵ On green, you still yield to anyone already lawfully in the intersection.⁶ Right on red is allowed unless a sign forbids it, but only after a full stop and after yielding to pedestrians and cross traffic.

Drivers must yield to pedestrians in any crosswalk, marked or unmarked, when the pedestrian is on the driver’s half of the road or close enough to be in danger. Passing a vehicle stopped for a pedestrian at a crosswalk is illegal.⁷ Pedestrians cannot step off a curb into the path of a vehicle so close that the driver has no chance to stop.

Emergency Vehicles and the Move Over Law

When an emergency vehicle approaches with lights and sirens, pull to the right until it passes. The Move Over law goes further: when any stationary vehicle on the roadside is showing flashing or warning lights, including tow trucks and highway maintenance vehicles, you must move into a non-adjacent lane or slow down if changing lanes is unsafe. Fines are $275 for a first offense, $500 for a second within five years, and $1,000 for a third or later violation inside that window.⁸

Lane Use and HOV

If you are moving slower than the normal flow on a multi-lane road, stay as far right as practicable. Passing, preparing for a left turn, or avoiding a hazard are the exceptions.⁹ Vehicles merging onto a freeway yield to traffic already on it.⁴ Lane changes require you to stay in a single lane until you have confirmed the move is safe.¹⁰

HOV lanes on Arizona freeways require at least two occupants during posted hours. Driving solo during restricted times is a $200 civil penalty, and certain alternative-fuel and electric vehicles with qualifying plates can use HOV lanes regardless of occupancy.¹¹

Phones and Distracted Driving

Since January 1, 2021, you cannot hold or physically support a phone or other electronic device while driving. No texting, no handheld calls, no scrolling, no reading messages. This is a primary offense, meaning police can stop you for it alone. A first offense runs $75 to $149. A second or later offense is $150 to $250.¹²

Hands-free use is still legal: Bluetooth, voice commands, a dashboard mount, or a wrist-worn device. Navigation apps are allowed if you are not holding the phone. You may also use a handheld phone to call 911.¹²

DUI

Arizona DUI penalties are among the strictest in the country, and the state recognizes three tiers.

Standard DUI

You commit a DUI with a BAC of 0.08 or higher within two hours of driving, or if you are impaired “to the slightest degree” by alcohol, drugs, or any combination. That lower standard matters: a BAC under 0.08 is not a safe harbor if the state can prove any impairment. Commercial license holders face a 0.04 threshold.¹³ A first standard conviction brings a 90-day license suspension (restricted driving possible after 30 days), a 12-month ignition interlock requirement, mandatory Traffic Survival School, SR-22 insurance, plus jail time and fines.¹⁴

Extreme DUI

A BAC of 0.15 to just under 0.20 carries a minimum of 30 consecutive days in jail, which a judge can reduce to 9 days with an ignition interlock. A BAC of 0.20 or higher carries a minimum of 45 consecutive days, reducible to 14 with an interlock.¹⁵

Aggravated DUI

A DUI becomes a felony when an aggravating factor is present. The common triggers: driving under the influence on a suspended or revoked license, a third DUI within 84 months, driving the wrong way on a highway while impaired, or having a passenger under 15 in the vehicle.¹⁶ Most aggravated DUIs are class 4 felonies with a four-month prison minimum and no probation or early release. A third or later conviction inside 84 months carries at least eight months.

Implied Consent

Driving on Arizona roads is automatic consent to a breath, blood, or urine test after a DUI arrest. Refusing does not stop prosecution and triggers a 12-month license suspension for a first refusal, two years if you have refused before within 84 months. After the suspension, reinstatement requires completing a drug or alcohol screening program.¹⁷

Seat Belts and Child Restraints

Every front-seat occupant must wear a seat belt. The driver is responsible for every passenger under 16, no matter where they sit.¹⁸ Rear-seat passengers 16 and older are not required to buckle up, but not doing so can reduce an injury recovery after a crash. Seat belt enforcement is secondary, so an officer needs another reason to pull you over before writing the ticket.¹⁹

Child restraint rules are enforced as a primary offense. Children under five must ride in a child restraint system. Children ages five through seven who are under 4 feet 9 inches tall must use a booster seat or other restraint that meets federal safety standards.²⁰

School and Work Zones

When portable signs show school is in session, the limit drops to 15 mph. All vehicles must stop fully when anyone is in the crosswalk, and passing is prohibited. Civil penalties for school zone violations double when signs so indicate.²¹ Over 35 mph near a school crossing is criminal speeding on top of the zone penalty.³

In a state highway work zone with workers present and signs posted, speeding fines double. The statute adds an assessment equal to the normal fine on top of the normal fine.²²

Bicycles and Pedestrians

Cyclists on the roadway have the same rights and duties as motor vehicle drivers: they obey signals, ride as far right as practicable, and use hand signals. Exceptions apply when passing, avoiding hazards, or preparing for a left turn.²³ Motorists must leave at least three feet of clearance when passing a bicycle, and a close pass that causes serious injury can bring criminal penalties beyond the civil fine.²⁴

Pedestrians must use crosswalks where they exist. Between two adjacent signalized intersections, crossing outside a marked crosswalk is a citable offense.²⁵

After a Crash

If a crash results in any injury, death, or property damage above $2,000, law enforcement must file a full written accident report. Damage of $2,000 or less still requires an abbreviated report with the time, location, parties, and a diagram.²⁶ Leaving the scene of a crash involving injury adds 6 points to your driving record on top of the criminal exposure.

Required Insurance

Every driver must carry liability insurance of at least $25,000 per person for bodily injury, $50,000 per accident for bodily injury to two or more people, and $15,000 for property damage (commonly written as 25/50/15).²⁷ Driving without valid coverage brings escalating penalties:

First violation: minimum $500 fine and a three-month suspension or restriction of driving privileges.
Second violation within 36 months: minimum $750 fine and a six-month suspension of license and vehicle registration.
Third or later violation within 36 months: minimum $1,000 fine and a one-year suspension of license and registration, plus proof of financial responsibility before reinstatement.

If you can show you actually had valid coverage when the citation was issued, the charge can be dismissed.²⁸

Points and License Suspension

Every moving violation conviction adds points to your record. When multiple violations come from a single stop, only the highest-point violation counts. Reach 8 or more points in any 12-month period and you face mandatory Traffic Survival School or a license suspension of up to 12 months.²⁹ Common point values:

8 points: DUI, extreme DUI, reckless driving, aggressive driving.
6 points: Leaving the scene of an accident, or failing to stop for a signal or stop sign where the violation causes death.
4 points: Failing to stop for a signal or stop sign where the violation causes serious injury.
3 points: Speeding.
2 points: Most other moving violations.

A single DUI puts you at the 8-point threshold on its own. Add the mandatory jail, the fines, the license suspension, the ignition interlock, and SR-22 insurance, and the consequences of one impaired-driving conviction run well past a year.²⁹

1
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-701 – Reasonable and Prudent Speed; Prima Facie Evidence; Exceptions
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-702.04 – Maximum Speed Limit on Interstate Highways Outside Urbanized Areas and Within Certain Counties; Definition
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-701.02 – Excessive Speeds; Classification
4
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-771 – Vehicle at Intersection; Exception; Entering Freeway
5
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-772 – Vehicle Turning Left at Intersection
6
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend
7
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-792 – Right-of-Way at Crosswalk
8
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-775 – Authorized Emergency Vehicles; Approaching; Following Fire Apparatus; Passing Stationary Vehicles; Violation; Civil Penalties
9
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-721 – Driving on Right Side of Roadway; Driving on Shoulder; Exceptions; Education
10
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-729 – Driving on Roadways Laned for Traffic
11
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-737 – High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes; Civil Penalty; Definition
12
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-914 – Use of Portable Wireless Communication Device While Driving; Prohibition; Civil Penalty; State Preemption; Definitions
13
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-1381 – Driving or Actual Physical Control While Under the Influence
14
Arizona Department of Transportation. Driving Under the Influence (DUI)
15
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-1382 – Driving or Actual Physical Control While Under the Extreme Influence of Intoxicating Liquor
16
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-1383 – Aggravated Driving or Actual Physical Control While Under the Influence
17
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-1321 – Implied Consent; Tests; Refusal to Submit to Test
18
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-909 – Vehicle Restraints Required; Exceptions; Civil Penalty
19
Arizona Legislature. Arizona’s Seat Belt Laws
20
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-907 – Child Restraint System; Civil Penalty; Exemptions; Notice; Child Restraint Fund; Definitions
21
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-797 – School Crossings; Civil Penalty; Assessment; Definition
22
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-710 – State Highway Work Zone Safety; Civil Penalty; Fund
23
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-812 – Applicability of Traffic Laws to Bicycle Riders
24
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-735 – Overtaking Bicycles; Civil Penalties
25
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-793 – Crossing at Other Than Crosswalk
26
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-667 – Written Accident Report; Definition
27
Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions. Automobile Insurance
28
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-4135 – Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Requirement; Civil Penalties; Restricted Driving Privilege; Evidence at Hearing
29
Arizona Department of Transportation. Points Assessment