In my 30+ years handling personal injury cases in Arizona and advocating for public safety, I’ve learned that the most tragic crashes are often 100% preventable. The newly released 2024 Arizona Crash Facts report exposes shocking new data: 1,228 lives lost, including 263 pedestrians.
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DUI and speeding: A lethal duo
In 2024, Arizona recorded 1,228 traffic fatalities, slightly lower than in 2023, but the total remains alarmingly high. Alcohol-impaired crashes accounted for nearly 28% of deadly collisions, with 247 fatalities, down only slightly from 258 in 2023, but still far too many. On nights and weekends alone, there were 2,407 alcohol-related crashes.
Speeding was another deadly cause of tragedy, according to Arizona Crash Facts: 417 deaths and 20,722 injuries, representing roughly 34% of all traffic fatalities and 38% of injuries in 2024. Each of these is a direct result of human decisions drivers make—to drink, to speed, to risk it all.
Equally alarming is that nearly 37% of all fatal crashes involved occupants who were not using a safety device. Add these to the familiar enemies like drunk driving, speeding, distracted operators, and the pattern is clear: human choices are the cause.
Distracted driving: The hidden killer
Nationally, distracted driving claimed 3,275 lives in 2023, according to the NHTSA, with texting alone making drivers 23 times more likely to crash. In 2022, ADOT documented 57 deaths from distracted driving in Arizona.
How perilous is texting behind the wheel? Taking eyes off the road for just five seconds at 55 mph is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed. National safety groups estimate 9 deaths daily across the U.S. from distracted driving, and hundreds more are injured.
Teens are disproportionately affected. A State Farm survey revealed 97% of teenagers acknowledge that distracted driving is dangerous, yet almost half admit to doing it. Arizona ranks in the top five states nationwide for teen driving fatalities, demonstrating the urgent need for targeted interventions.
The personal toll
In my experience as a father of two and a husband, I see these tragedies as more than numbers—they are empty seats at dinner tables, broken promises, and the unfathomable void when a loved one is lost. When our boys received their licenses, one rule was non-negotiable: no distractions, no speeding, no alcohol—ever.
A roadmap for change
Arizona must pursue a multipronged strategy to increase traffic safety:
- Evolve self-driving traffic safety laws. Incentivize commercial self-driving technology. Robotaxis don’t drive aggressively, don’t get drunk, and don’t text.
- Expand high-visibility enforcement. Increase DUI checkpoints and speeding patrols, particularly on high-risk nights and weekends.
- Invest in technology-based deterrents. Automated speed and red-light cameras, combined with in-car phone-blocking systems at the traffic-safety level.
- Enhance education and awareness. Pair ADOT’s distracted-driving messaging with broad school and community programs, focusing on young drivers and parents pledging distraction-free driving.
- Strengthen teen driver restrictions. Mandate stricter graduated license policies—no handheld phone use, and stronger seat belt enforcement.
Author: Marc Lamber is a Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent-rated trial attorney and public safety advocate. A director at the Am Law 200 firm Fennemore, Lamber chairs the firm’s Lamber Goodnow Personal Injury Practice Group and has been featured in national and local media, including USA Today, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the ABA Journal, and many others.
