As of January 1, 2021, Arizona
’s texting and driving law prohibits handheld cell phone use, including sending and reading text messages, for all drivers. If you’re caught violating the law, you could be issued a ticket from $75 (for a first offense) to $250. Texting while driving is one of the greatest threats to drivers in the twenty-first century. With cell phones completely integrated into daily life, reading and sending texts behind the wheel might feel like a safe form of multitasking—but that’s not the case. In 2019 alone, at least 10,491 Arizona drivers were involved in distracted driving crashes
, and most of them were caused by texting. You’re more than twice as likely to be in a crash caused by a texting driver than one caused by a drunk driver—that’s why states have started passing laws banning texting on the road. To keep you up to date with your state’s laws, car insurance
comparison app Jerry
has compiled a guide to Arizona’s texting and driving laws. We've even included information on how to reduce your Arizona car insurance costs. 
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Start earning nowWhat are the texting and driving laws in Arizona?
In January 2019, an Arizona police officer named Clayton Townsend
was struck and killed by a driver who later admitted to texting in the moments before the collision. In response, the state legislature passed House Bill 2318
, which prohibits: Holding a handheld device with any part of your body (e.g. on your shoulder, in your hands) while driving
Reading, writing, or sending text messages while driving
Checking social media, watching or recording videos, or otherwise using a cell phone while driving
The law took effect on January 1, 2021, nearly two years after Officer Townsend’s death. Because HB 2318 is a primary law, law enforcement officers are permitted to stop drivers and issue citations just for texting and driving.
What are the penalties for texting and driving in Arizona?
If you’re stopped by a police officer for violating Arizona’s texting and driving law, your penalty will depend on whether or not you’ve been cited for a violation of HB 2318 before.
For a first offense, the penalty is a fine between $75 and $149. If you’re stopped again, you could be looking at fines up to $250 (not including surcharges, which can rack up the cost of that text message considerably!).
But the penalties get steeper if your texting and driving caused a serious physical injury—or, worse, someone’s death. Causing injury or death by texting while driving is a Class 1 misdemeanor that carries the following possible penalties:
A jail sentence of up to six months
Court-ordered restitution up to $100,000
You could also be ordered to attend traffic school, and failure to attend could result in additional suspensions of your license.
Because there’s no way to predict the outcome of texting while driving, it’s safest to wait until you’re at your destination to pick up your phone—the alternative could become the most expensive text message of your life.
Are there exceptions to Arizona’s texting and driving law?
But, wait—what about calling 911 while you’re driving? Or what if you need to use your phone to access GPS directions?
Arizona’s law includes a few exceptions for reasonable and safe cell phone use while driving. Here are a few ways that you can legally use your handheld device behind the wheel:
Making calls using your phone’s hands-free mode
Starting a GPS route or other navigation tasks
Calling 911 for emergency assistance or to report a crime
The law also doesn’t apply to devices like radios, medical equipment, or in-vehicle security systems.
Are there special rules about texting and driving for young drivers?
Arizona’s law places the same restrictions on cell phone use for instruction and intermediate permit holders under 18. In fact, the state ban on teens texting while driving has been in place since 2018!
Can texting and driving raise my insurance premium?
Yes, texting and driving can raise your insurance premium. The best reason not to text and drive is to keep yourself, your passengers, and others on the road safer. The second best reason is to avoid Arizona’s steep fines for drivers caught violating the law.
But if those considerations aren’t sufficient to change your phone habits behind the wheel, take into account the long-term costs of a citation for texting and driving. If you get a ticket for texting and driving, you can expect your car insurance premium to jump by several hundred dollars a year!
On average, Arizona drivers ticketed for texting while driving saw their insurance premium increase from about $1,615 to $2,010. That’s a 24% increase! Keep in mind that these are just statistical averages—depending on your situation, you could see an even greater increase in your insurance rate, especially if your record shows recurring violations.
How to save money on car insurance in Arizona
It’s easy to keep your insurance rate low in Arizona by simply switching to hands-free mode or waiting till you arrive at your destination to get your phone out. Once you’re safely parked, you can save even more by downloading the Jerry
app to find the lowest rate on the insurance policy you need. How does it work? Simple: just enter your information, sit back, and wait while Jerry summons competitive quotes from 55+ top insurance companies. Pick the quote you like best, and Jerry will handle all the paperwork to sign you up. They’ll even help you cancel your old policy so you can get set up with savings ASAP!
There’s a reason Jerry’s the No. 1 rated insurance app in the US—and it’s not just the high level of service and support you’ll get throughout the insurance shopping process. No, it’s probably the $800 a year that drivers save on average by using our trustworthy comparison shopping super app
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