Arizona Car Accident Laws: What to Do and What to Know

At the scene: what the law requires

Arizona law requires drivers involved in a crash to stop, exchange name, address, and vehicle registration information, show a driver license on request, and render reasonable aid to anyone injured — leaving the scene of an injury accident is a felony. If anyone is hurt, involve police so the crash is documented. Move vehicles out of traffic when it is safe to do so; Arizona law favors clearing the roadway.

The first week: protect the claim

• Get medical care immediately, even for "minor" symptoms — gaps and delays in treatment are the first thing insurers use against a claim
• Photograph vehicles, the scene, visible injuries; keep names of witnesses
• Report the crash to your own insurer (a policy condition) — but decline to give the other driver’s insurer a recorded statement before speaking with an attorney
• Do not accept a quick settlement before you know the extent of your injuries — signing a release ends the claim permanently

Arizona is a fault state

The at-fault driver — through their liability insurance — is responsible for the harm they cause. Every Arizona driver must carry at least $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident in bodily-injury coverage and $15,000 for property damage. Serious injuries exceed those minimums fast, which is where umbrella policies and your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage decide what a claim is actually worth collecting.

The statute of limitations

Arizona’s statute of limitations for personal injury is two years from the date of injury under A.R.S. § 12-542 — file suit within it or lose the claim entirely. Two traps shorten it: claims against a public entity or employee (a city vehicle, a dangerous road) require a notice of claim within 180 days under A.R.S. § 12-821.01 and suit within one year, and claims for minors or incapacitated people follow their own tolling rules. Treat the deadline as the frame the whole case is built inside, not a distant formality.

If you were partly at fault

Being partially to blame does not bar recovery in Arizona — your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, and nothing more. How that works, and how insurers exploit it, is covered in the comparative negligence guide. For what the firm does at each stage of a claim, see the Phoenix car accident page.