Is it legal to text and drive in Arizona? The answer to this question is more complex than one might expect.
There is no Arizona law that prohibits texting while driving for all drivers. However, this doesn’t fully answer the question. For even though there is no all-encompassing texting ban in the state, a given instance of texting while driving in the state could still be against the law, depending on the circumstances.
One of the circumstances is where in the state the texting while driving occurred. Some Arizona cities, including Phoenix, have their own texting bans.
Also, there are certain people that are banned from texting on the roads by state law. Here in Arizona, school bus drivers are prohibited from using a handheld phone while driving. A bill is currently being considered that would make it so teen drivers would be prohibited from using wireless communication devices behind the wheel in the state.
Additionally, texting while driving could lead to a driver engaging in conduct that is illegal for all drivers in the state (such as speeding or running a stop sign).
As this illustrates, texting while driving holds a somewhat complex place in Arizona traffic laws. And this is not the only kind of complexity that can arise in relation to texting while driving. When a person is harmed by a texting driver, various complicated issues could arise in connection to their efforts to get fairly compensated for their injuries. So, knowledgeable legal guidance can be a critical thing for a victim of a texting-while-driving accident to have in the wake of the crash.
Source: KTAR, “Arizona Department of Public Safety to ramp up distracted driving enforcement,” Alyssa Hesketh, March 17, 2017
