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Buckle up now! No excuses billboard

 

Arizona Highway Safety Matters

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. Fast Today, Fined Tomorrow. Buckle Up Now! No Excuses.

 

Every day on Arizona’s roadways, lives are at stake. In 2024, there were 1,228 traffic fatalities across the state—even though that number marked a 6.1% decline from 2023, it still averages to more than three lives lost every day1,2. Meanwhile, total crashes dropped slightly from 123,256 to 121,107 in 2024—a 1.7% decrease—but remain unacceptably high3,1.

Our billboards say it plainly: “Drive sober or get pulled over.” Impairment and speeding continue to be the leading causes of tragedy on our highways. In 2024, alcohol-related crashes accounted for approximately 28% of all fatal crashes2. Nights and weekends alone saw 2,407 alcohol-involved crashes, making up 43.6% of total alcohol-related accidents2. As for speed, one of the deadliest behaviors: it claimed 417 lives and injured 20,722 people, representing 34% of total deaths and 38% of total injuries2,4.

A decade-long perspective makes the stakes even clearer. From 2014 to 2024, Arizona’s traffic fatalities increased 62%, and the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) rose 29%, landing Arizona as the fourth highest fatality rate in the nation at 1.59 per 100 million VMT5. Even as we make incremental gains, the legacy of risk remains—and demands action.

Highway safety aligns directly with the Arizona Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol Division priorities, which focus on reducing crashes, saving lives, and keeping our roadways safe for every traveler.

Our message is clear: “Fast today, fined tomorrow.” Speeding isn’t just reckless—it’s often deadly. “Buckle up now! No excuses.” Seat belts save lives, yet over a quarter of people killed in crashes in 2024 were not buckled up6,2. That’s one simple click that can mean the difference between surviving and becoming the next statistic.

These safety statistics are more than numbers—they represent fathers, mothers, children, friends, coworkers. Every percentage point saved, every person who arrives home safely, touches a community, reduces grief, and strengthens all of us.

That’s why AZDPS and our partners urge every Arizona driver to choose safety—always:

  • Drive sober—get home safely—call a sober friend, use a rideshare, or take public transit.
  • Don’t speed—arriving 10 minutes early isn’t worth a lifetime of loss.
  • Wear your seat belt—every trip, every time. No excuses.

Together, we can turn these stats around. Every safe drive makes Arizona’s highways safer for all.

 

Buckle up now! No excuses billboard

Buckle up now! No excuses billboard

 

 

 

 

 

Sources

  1. Arizona Department of Transportation. Traffic Fatalities in Arizona Dip for Second Year in a Row. Link
  2. AZFamily.com. Arizona Sees Drop in Traffic Deaths, Numbers Still Alarmingly High. Link
  3. Arizona Department of Transportation. Motor Vehicle Crash Facts. Link
  4. Arizona Department of Transportation. 2022 Crash Facts. Link
  5. TRIPnet. Addressing America’s Traffic Safety Crisis – Arizona Report. Link
  6. ABC15 Arizona. Arizona Crash Deaths Decrease for Second Consecutive Year. Link