PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation is urging parents and guardians to talk with their teens about safe driving during Teen Driver Safety Week, which runs Oct. 18-24.
Traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for U.S. teens ages 15 to 18. In 2025, 31 drivers in that age group were killed in crashes on Arizona roads, according to law enforcement crash reports compiled by ADOT.
ADOT says the biggest risks for young drivers include skipping seatbelts, distracted and impaired driving, speeding and carrying too many passengers. Arizona’s Hands Free Law bars drivers from holding a phone or other stand-alone device while driving.
“Providing resources to new drivers in formats that are convenient and accessible, such as at-home permit tests, is crucial to ensuring all drivers on Arizona roadways are safer,” Motor Vehicle Division Director Mike Cryderman said in the agency’s release.
Arizona drivers under 18 face restrictions for their first six months with a license: only one passenger who is not a sibling or a licensed parent seated beside them, and no driving between midnight and 5 a.m. except to or from school or religious activities, work or a family emergency.
Teens can study the Arizona Driver License Manual and take practice permit tests online. More information is at azdot.gov/teendrivers.
Sources: Arizona Department of Transportation news release, Oct. 19, 2026. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Arizona Department of Transportation / courtesy photo via ADOT.
