Arizona’s car accident laws put financial responsibility on the driver who caused the crash, require every driver to carry at least $25,000/$50,000/$15,000 in liability insurance, and give injured parties two years to sue. The state also uses pure comparative negligence, so you can still recover damages even if you were partly at fault, and the state constitution bars any cap on personal injury awards.
How Arizona Handles Fault After a Crash
Arizona is an at-fault state. The driver who caused the accident is financially responsible for the other party’s vehicle damage, medical bills, and lost income, so every claim turns on who was negligent and by how much.1Arizona DIFI. Automobile Insurance
You have three ways to pursue compensation. You can file a claim with your own insurer if you carry collision or comprehensive coverage. You can file a third-party claim directly with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. And if neither produces a fair result, you can file a lawsuit in state court and let a judge or jury decide liability and damages.
Pure Comparative Negligence
Arizona follows a pure comparative negligence rule. If you share blame for the crash, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you are never completely barred from recovering.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 12-2505 – Comparative Negligence, Definition
Say a jury awards you $100,000 and finds you 30% responsible. Your award drops by $30,000, and you collect $70,000. Even a driver found 95% at fault can still recover 5% of their damages from the other party.
One hard limit applies. If you intentionally caused or contributed to the crash, you lose the right to comparative negligence entirely.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 12-2505 – Comparative Negligence, Definition The rule protects people who made mistakes, not people who caused harm on purpose.
Minimum Insurance You Must Carry
Every vehicle owner in Arizona has to carry liability insurance meeting these minimums:3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-4009 – Motor Vehicle Liability Policy Requirements
- $25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person per accident
- $50,000 for total bodily injury or death when two or more people are hurt in the same accident
- $15,000 for property damage per accident
These are the legal floor, commonly written as 25/50/15. Many drivers carry higher limits because a single serious injury can easily exceed $25,000 in medical costs. You can also add uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to protect yourself when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little to cover your losses.
If You Drive for Uber or Lyft
Rideshare drivers face different requirements depending on what they are doing at the moment of the crash. Logged into the app but not yet matched with a rider, the minimum coverage is 25/50 for bodily injury plus $20,000 for property damage. Between accepting a ride and picking up the passenger, the minimum is $250,000 per incident. Once a passenger is in the vehicle, the required coverage jumps to $1,000,000 per incident. Either the driver or the rideshare company (or both) must maintain it, and proof of insurance must be in the vehicle any time the driver is logged in.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-4038 – Transportation Network Services, Financial Responsibility Requirements
Penalties for Driving Uninsured
Getting caught without valid insurance in Arizona triggers escalating civil penalties and license consequences:5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-4135 – Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Requirement, Civil Penalties
- First violation: minimum $500 penalty and a three-month suspension or restriction of driving privileges
- Second violation within 36 months: minimum $750 penalty and a six-month suspension of license and vehicle registration
- Third or later violation within 36 months: minimum $1,000 penalty, a one-year suspension of license and registration, and an SR-22 filing before reinstatement
If you receive a citation but can show the court you actually had valid insurance at the time, the citation can be dismissed.
What You Must Do at the Scene
Your obligations at the scene are split across two statutes. If the accident involves any injury or death, you must immediately stop at the scene (or as close as possible) and stay until you have fulfilled all required duties.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-661 – Accidents Involving Death or Physical Injuries If the crash involves only vehicle damage, the same stop-and-stay rule applies.7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-662 – Accidents Involving Damage to Vehicle, Failure to Stop
Once stopped, provide your name, address, and vehicle registration number to the other driver, and show your license if anyone asks. If someone is injured, you must provide reasonable assistance, including arranging transportation to a hospital when treatment appears necessary.8Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-663 – Duty to Give Information and Assistance
When a Police Report Gets Filed
Arizona does not require individual drivers to file a written report with the state. That obligation falls on law enforcement. Any officer who investigates a crash involving bodily injury, death, or property damage above $2,000 must complete a written accident report within 24 hours of finishing the investigation.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-667 – Written Accident Report, Definition
For minor crashes below that threshold, responding officers still document the time, location, parties, and a narrative. Always call law enforcement after a crash, especially when injuries are involved or damage looks significant. That report becomes important evidence if you later pursue a claim or lawsuit.
Hit-and-Run Consequences
Leaving the scene turns an ordinary crash into a serious criminal case. If the accident involved only vehicle damage and you fail to stop, the offense is a class 1 misdemeanor. A court can also order your license suspended for one year, and if substance use contributed, you may need to complete alcohol or drug screening before reinstatement.7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-662 – Accidents Involving Damage to Vehicle, Failure to Stop
The stakes jump when people are hurt. Leaving the scene of an accident involving a non-serious injury is a class 5 felony. If the crash caused death or serious physical injury, leaving is a class 3 felony. If you actually caused an accident that resulted in death or serious physical injury and then fled, the charge is a class 2 felony.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-661 – Accidents Involving Death or Physical Injuries
Separately, failing to exchange information at the scene is a class 1 misdemeanor, and failing to help an injured person is a class 6 felony.8Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-663 – Duty to Give Information and Assistance
How Long You Have to Sue
Arizona gives you two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. The same two-year deadline applies to property damage claims, such as the cost of repairing your vehicle.10Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 12-542 – Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury and Property Damage
Wrongful death claims also carry a two-year deadline, but the clock starts from the date of death rather than the date of the accident. That distinction matters when someone survives for weeks or months after a crash before dying from their injuries.
Missing the deadline is almost always fatal to a case. A few narrow exceptions can pause the clock, such as when the injured person is a minor or when the at-fault driver leaves the state before a lawsuit is filed, but those situations are uncommon. Treat the two-year window as hard.
What You Can Recover
Arizona does not cap personal injury damages. The state constitution specifically prohibits any law that limits the amount a person can recover for injury or death, so there is no statutory ceiling on what a jury can award.
Economic damages cover losses you can put a dollar figure on: medical bills, future medical treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and vehicle repair or replacement. Non-economic damages compensate for harm without a receipt, including physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment in daily activities.
Punitive damages exist but require a much higher threshold. You must show by clear and convincing evidence that the other driver’s conduct was outrageous and reflected a conscious disregard for the safety of others. A typical negligence case, such as running a red light, will not qualify. Courts look for conduct extreme enough that additional punishment beyond compensatory damages is warranted.
Diminished Value After Repairs
Even after a vehicle is fully repaired, its resale value often drops simply because it has an accident on its record. Arizona lets the not-at-fault driver pursue a diminished value claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance to recover that loss. If you caused the accident, you are not eligible.
There is no official formula. Courts look at the difference between your vehicle’s market value immediately before the crash and its value after repairs, and expert appraisals carry significant weight. The two-year property damage deadline applies, so get an independent valuation early rather than late.