Arizona Driving Tips

Unfortunately, really good public transportation options in Arizona are sorely lacking.

While all the major cities have bus systems, most routes are not convenient for getting around quickly and easily during your Arizona vacation.

To travel in Arizona, you really do need to have a vehicle.

If you are just in the state for a short business trip and only need to get from your hotel to an office, you can do so via a cab or hired car.

Otherwise, you'll be driving in Arizona yourself.

Before you begin traveling around the state, there are a few things you should know about Arizona driving...

Need directions for driving to Arizona? Click here to get Arizona Driving Directions.

Arizona freeways such as Interstate 10 through Phoenix have speed limits that drop to 65 or 55 miles per hour

The speed limit drops to 65 or 55 miles per hour in and around metropolitan areas.

On Arizona state highways and U.S. routes in rural Arizona, the speed limit is 65 miles per hour.

Pay special attention when traveling these rural highways as they pass through small towns.

The speed limit will generally drop to 35- to 40-miles per hour, even through the tiniest town.

Drivers who fail to slow are easy pickings for traffic tickets from local law enforcement agencies.

Arizona Speed Limits (unless otherwise posted):

• Urban Areas: 30 miles per hour
• Rural Areas: 65 miles per hour
• Four-lane Highway: 65 miles per hour
• Interstate Freeway: 75 miles per hour.

Children 4 years and under must be properly restrained as well.

Traveling across the Navajo Nation offers some of the most scenic Arizona driving

Though tribal lands are sovereign nations, the tribes welcome visitors and offer a variety of cultural attractions, accommodations, casinos and outdoor recreational opportunities.

Native American lands also have some of the most spectacular scenery in the state, which makes them popular destinations.

Arizona driving is a little different on tribal lands, however.

The speed limits on American Indian Nations are often lower than the rest of Arizona and abrupt changes in speed limits may occur with little to no warning.

Also, many tribes have their own police departments who have jurisdiction over the roads on their reservations.

Tips for Driving On Native American Nations:

• Always be sure to observe the posted speed limits.
• Stay on primary roads.
• All other roads may be off-limits to non-tribal members. Obey all posted travel restrictions.

This hill on Interstate 40 through Williams, Arizona is often the site of a speed trap

Many of Arizona’s highways have long empty stretches between towns.

Or, the roads have sections that decrease in elevation rapidly, where it is easy to speed up as you drive downhill if you’re not paying attention.

These are the places where speed traps seem to occur most often.

Some areas that drivers have reported to be speed traps are:

• Interstate 40 just west of the town of Williams
• Interstate 10 between Tucson and Phoenix near the town of Eloy
• AZ State Route 93 from Wickenburg to Kingman to the Nevada line
• Cave Creek Road and Tom Darlington Road in Carefree, Arizona north of Scottsdale.

Construction zones can also be notorious speed traps. Fines for speeding in construction zones are doubled.

Be sure to obey the posted speed limit signs day or night, even if you see no construction taking place at the time.

The speed limit may drop without warning to much lower speeds, so be prepared to avoid getting a ticket.

Speeding and running red lights is a problem in much of Arizona.

The long roads and large distances between destinations seem to entice drivers to race down the street like they were competing in the Indy 500!

The city of Scottsdale has addressed this problem by installing photo radar in areas where speeding and fatal accidents have been the worst.

Other Arizona communities as well as the state are looking into adopting this method for roads and highways.

Unpaved roads like this one in Saguaro National Park’s western unit are common throughout much of rural Arizona as well as Arizona public lands

Odds are good that they won’t be paved.

Even the outlying parts of Maricopa and Pima Counties - Arizona's most populous regions - still have unpaved roads.

As an Arizona traveler, this can make for interesting adventures.

But, before you begin exploring Arizona's back roads, be prepared.

Use caution while driving on any unpaved road. They can be bumpy, rocky and uneven.

Unpaved roads in desert areas are commonly referred to as "washboard", for the seemingly even-spaced ridges on the road reminiscent of an old fashioned washboard.

Drive slowly over these roads or you’ll run the risk of seriously damaging the underside of your car.

After storms, unpaved roads can become muddy quagmires that can trap you and your vehicle.

It’s best to avoid unpaved roads when wet.

Many unpaved roads require high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicles.

Essentially, it means that cattle have the right of way and ranchers are not required to fence them in.

So, drivers need to watch for cows on many Arizona roads.

Arizona's Wild West past lives on and residents and drivers should be prepared for cow encounters...

You should because if you're doing any Arizona driving during a storm, you could end up as one and it could cost you big time.

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