Resources

Driving requires skill, attentiveness and patience.  Rush-hour gridlocks can last for hours as a growing population forces its way on the overcrowded freeways, further irritated by constant road construction and summertime heat.  Frustrated drivers commute from one side of the city to the other, students scramble for parking, hastiness and distraction causes accidents, and cars to overheat.  Sometimes, just getting home safely is a feat.

These facts produce some staggering statistics in Arizona, and also offer some very convincing arguments for why you, or your teen could benefit from the skills learned at our Driving School:

• Forty-six percent of drivers in Arizona don't have insurance.  By law, drivers must carry proof of insurance, registration and a valid driver's license.  Proof of insurance is required in order to register and license a vehicle, but insurance is often dropped after licensed.

• 2008 Arizona crash facts from ADOT states approximately 2.57 persons were killed each day in car crashes.  Vehicle crashes cost Arizona 2.8 billion in economic losses.

• National statistics state that Arizona leads the nation for red light running collisions.  Someone in Arizona runs a red light every five minutes during rush hour.  Mesa is number three and Tucson is number four.  Attendance in Traffic Survival School, a required and more intense program, is required for red-light running.

• According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Arizona is one of the few states that does not place restrictions on riding in cargo areas of pickup trucks.  This creates very dangerous situations for passengers traveling in the open beds.

• Different from other states, Arizona has city streets that are wider and straighter, with higher speed limits.  Arizona also has higher highway speeds, at 75 or 65.  Higher speeds and carelessness lead to auto-related accidents that are increasing in quantity and severity.  Fines and consequences are also becoming more severe.

Resource Links:

	Insurance Chaz Elsten Insurance Consultant Bear Down Insurance Agency
	MADD http://www.madd.org/az/pima http://www.madd.org/home.aspx
	SADD http://www.sadd.org/
	Superior Court http://www.sc.pima.gov/
	Service Arizona - The New MVD http://servicearizona.com/
	ADOT - MVD http://www.azdot.gov/mvd/OfficeHourssql/scripts/readofficehours.asp?COUNTY=Pima