Arizona Car Accident Leads for Law Firms

Arizona logged 1,228 traffic fatalities in 2024 (Arizona Department of Transportation), a 6.12% drop from 2023, in a year that saw 121,107 total crashes (down 1.74% year-over-year). Despite the decline, Arizona had the 4th-highest traffic fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in the United States at 1.59. Alcohol-related crashes accounted for 27.93% of all fatal crashes (347 alcohol-related fatalities). Speeding contributed to 417 fatalities and more than 20,700 injuries (33.9% of fatalities and 38% of injuries). Motorcyclist fatalities dropped 16% to 219 in 2024. From 2014 to 2024, Arizona traffic fatalities increased 62% and the per-VMT fatality rate rose 29%.

Claim volume concentrates in the Phoenix metropolitan area (Maricopa County, the fourth-largest county by population in the US) and Tucson (Pima County). Outside the two anchor metros, the largest counties are Pinal (Casa Grande, San Tan Valley, fast-growing Phoenix exurbs), Yavapai (Prescott, Sedona, Cottonwood), Mohave (Lake Havasu, Bullhead City, Kingman), Yuma, Coconino (Flagstaff), Navajo, and Cochise (Sierra Vista). The I-10, I-17, I-19, I-40, US-60 (Superstition Freeway), US-93, Loop 101, Loop 202, and Loop 303 corridors carry outsized shares of the commercial-vehicle and catastrophic-injury caseload.

Arizona pure comparative fault under A.R.S. § 12-2505 is the most plaintiff-friendly fault regime in the country. Any fault chargeable to the plaintiff reduces damages proportionally but never bars recovery, even at 99% plaintiff fault. That is meaningfully more favorable than modified-comparative states with a 50% bar (Tennessee, Massachusetts) or 51% bar (Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Florida), and dramatically more favorable than the four contributory negligence jurisdictions (NC, VA, AL, MD/DC) where 1% plaintiff fault wipes out recovery entirely. Borderline-fault Arizona leads remain in scope at intake.

Arizona Constitution Article 2 § 31 is one of the strongest anti-cap provisions in the country. The text reads: "No law shall be enacted in this state limiting the amount of damages to be recovered for causing the death or injury of any person." Arizona is one of only ~5 US states with this constitutional protection, and the Arizona Supreme Court has consistently struck down statutory cap attempts. Both economic and noneconomic damages on Arizona auto and PI files are uncapped. The combination of pure comparative fault plus the constitutional anti-cap regime sustains the upper end of Arizona jury outcomes.

SB 1087 raised Arizona auto liability minimums on July 1, 2020. The minimum bumped from 15/30/10 to 25/50/15. UM/UIM is offered but not mandated; written rejection is required to waive. Arizona public-entity claims under A.R.S. § 12-821.01 require a 180-day notice of claim plus a separate 1-year SOL under A.R.S. § 12-821, which is the most common procedural trap on Arizona files involving city, county, or state vehicles and road-defect claims.