ARS 28-645 is Arizona’s traffic control signal statute. It tells you exactly what each signal color requires at an intersection and what you can and cannot do on green, yellow, and red.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend The consequences for ignoring it are heavier than most drivers expect: a red light conviction triggers a mandatory traffic survival school order from the Motor Vehicle Division, and skipping that course puts your license on the line.
What a Green Signal Allows
A steady circular green means you may go straight, turn right, or turn left, unless a posted sign prohibits a specific turn. Before you move, you still have to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to any vehicles already lawfully in the intersection when the light changed.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend
A green arrow, alone or shown with another signal, permits only the movement the arrow points toward. A green left arrow paired with a red circular signal lets you turn left, but it does not let you go straight. Yield to pedestrians in adjacent crosswalks and to any traffic already lawfully in the intersection.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend
Turning Left on a Circular Green
When you turn left on a circular green with no arrow, oncoming traffic has a green light too. Arizona law requires you to yield to any oncoming vehicle that is close enough to be an immediate hazard.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-772 – Vehicle Turning Left at Intersection Entering the intersection first does not give you the right-of-way. Wait inside the intersection until oncoming traffic clears. If the light turns red while you’re already in the intersection, complete the turn once it’s safe rather than backing up.
What a Yellow Signal Means
Steady yellow warns that the green phase is ending and red is about to appear. Under the statute, vehicles should not enter the intersection once yellow shows.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend In practice, stop if you can do so safely. If you’re already close enough that stopping would require slamming the brakes, proceed through. The yellow phase is a buffer, not a signal to accelerate.
Pedestrians get the same message. If you haven’t stepped off the curb, wait for the next green.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend
What a Red Signal Requires
Steady red means come to a complete stop before the crosswalk, or before the intersection if there’s no crosswalk, and stay stopped until the signal turns green.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend Two exceptions let you move on red, and both require a full stop first.
Right Turn on Red
After a full stop, you can turn right on red unless a sign at the intersection prohibits it. Yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to vehicles moving through the intersection on their green. Rolling slowly through the stop and turning is still a red light violation.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend
Left Turn on Red From One-Way to One-Way
Arizona permits one type of left turn on red: from a one-way street onto another one-way street where traffic flows to the left. Stop completely first, then yield to pedestrians and traffic with the right-of-way. A posted sign can prohibit this turn at any given intersection.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend If either street carries two-way traffic, the exception does not apply.
Inoperative or Dark Signals
When a traffic signal goes dark or malfunctions, Arizona law treats the intersection as an all-way stop. Every driver from every direction must come to a complete stop before entering. If two vehicles arrive at roughly the same time from different directions, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend A dark signal is not a “proceed when convenient” situation, and blowing through it because your direction normally has the green is both dangerous and illegal.
Pedestrian Signals
At intersections without dedicated pedestrian signals, pedestrians follow the same traffic lights as vehicles. A green signal, other than a turn arrow standing alone, means pedestrians can cross within any marked or unmarked crosswalk. A red signal means stay on the curb.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend
Where WALK and DON’T WALK signals (or the walking person and upraised hand symbols) are installed, they override the general traffic light rules. WALK means you can cross and drivers must yield. DON’T WALK means you cannot start crossing. If you’ve already started on a WALK signal and it changes, finish crossing to the sidewalk or a safety island rather than turning back.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-646 – Pedestrian Control Signals Loitering Prohibited
Arizona’s pedestrian signal law also prohibits loitering in the crosswalk or deliberately delaying your crossing after traffic has stopped for you.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-646 – Pedestrian Control Signals Loitering Prohibited
Penalties for Running a Red Light
Arizona treats red light violations more seriously than most other moving violations. When the Motor Vehicle Division receives a conviction record for running a red light, it is required to order the driver to complete traffic survival school within 60 days.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend This order is not optional and cannot be waived by paying the fine. The course is on top of anything the court imposes at sentencing.
Ignore the order or fail to complete the course, and the MVD will suspend your license. The suspension stays in place until you finish the program.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3306 – Discretionary License Suspension or Revocation Driving on a suspended license creates a separate criminal problem, so skipping traffic survival school is never the right move.
Defensive Driving School as an Alternative
Defensive driving school can keep a red light conviction off your record entirely. When you complete the course through the diversion program, the MVD never receives a judgment, and the traffic survival school order is never triggered. Arizona courts are required to offer defensive driving school for most civil traffic moving violations, including red light tickets.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3392 – Defensive Driving School Eligibility
A few situations disqualify you:
- You completed defensive driving school for another violation within the past 12 months.
- The violation caused a death or serious physical injury. A judge can still order the course as part of sentencing, but the diversion is off the table.
- You hold a commercial driver license and were driving a commercial vehicle at the time of the violation.
The 12-month cooldown means the diversion works for first-time or infrequent offenders, while repeat violators eventually face the full penalty track.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3392 – Defensive Driving School Eligibility
Photo Enforcement Tickets
Several Arizona cities use automated red light cameras. The system photographs vehicles that enter an intersection after the light turns red, and the registered owner receives a notice of violation. Arizona law requires that photo enforcement citations be filed with the court and served on the vehicle owner within 90 days. If you receive a camera-generated ticket, you have the same options as any other civil traffic citation, including defensive driving school if you’re eligible.
Common grounds for challenging a photo enforcement ticket include showing that someone else was driving, that the images are unclear, or that the equipment malfunctioned. You can also request calibration records and the photos themselves. Ignoring the notice does not make it disappear. Once the citation is properly served, failing to respond can result in a default judgment and additional consequences.