ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
excessive speeding;
accident; penalty
Purpose
Increases the penalties for
drivers who cause automobile accidents resulting in serious injury or death as
a result of excessive speeding.
According to the United States Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 354 traffic fatalities in Arizona resulted from speeding-related accidents in 2000, which accounted for 34 percent of the total traffic fatalities in the State. NHTSA also estimates that for 2000, there was a $535 million (in 1994 dollars) economic cost associated with speeding-related accidents. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), there were 18,052 injuries in Arizona in 2000 resulting from speeding-related accidents. However, it should be noted that DPS does not distinguish between injury and serious injury accidents.
The Traffic Survival School
program, administered by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT),
attempts to modify the behavior of drivers by teaching them how to avoid
adverse traffic situations by increasing their knowledge of Arizona traffic
laws, defining their responsibilities while driving and improving their
attitude toward safe driving. Traffic
Survival School should not be confused with Defensive Driving School,
administered by the Arizona Supreme Court, that allows for the dismissal of a
citation based on attendance.
Under current law, a person
found guilty of driving at excessive speeds is guilty of a class 3
misdemeanor. S.B. 1168 imposes
additional penalties when excessive speeding contributes to an accident
resulting in serious injury or death.
There is no known fiscal
impact to the state general fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Prescribes the penalties for excessive speeding accidents resulting in serious injury, which subjects a driver to a fine of up to $500 and allows the court to direct ADOT to suspend the driver’s driving privilege for 90 days.
2. Prescribes the penalties for excessive speeding accidents resulting in death, which subjects a driver to a fine of up to $1,000 and allows the court to direct ADOT to suspend the driver’s driving privilege for 180 days.
3. Requires a driver found responsible for an excessive speeding violation that causes an accident that results in serious injury or death to attend and successfully complete Traffic Survival School.
4. Requires the court to report the conviction to ADOT.
5. Allows the court to order the driver to perform community service.
6. Makes conforming changes.
7. Provides for a general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Staff
February 19, 2002