Defensive Driving in Phoenix

by John Fabel | Last Updated: January 2, 2023

With nearly 1.7 million residents potentially on the road at any given time, driving in Phoenix can be challenging. In Arizona’s biggest city, driving can sometimes get as spicy as the salsa at Gallo Blanco.

Arizona is a dangerous place to drive. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation,  Arizona averages nearly 130,000 traffic accidents a year, with nearly 75% of them occurring in Maricopa county.  

Accidents in Arizona have a huge impact, both physically and fiscally. To illustrate, here are a few facts from last year’s Motor Vehicle Crash Facts report, Published by the Arizona Department of Transportation:

• Approximately 2.69 persons were killed each day
• One person was killed every 8 hours and 56 minutes
• There were 147 persons injured every day
• One person was injured every 9 minutes and 46 seconds
• Alcohol-related crashes accounted for 3.78% of all crashes and 25.69% of all fatal crashes
• Motor vehicle crashes resulted in $18.442 billion in economic losses to Arizona

Since most accidents are caused by a failure to control speed, law enforcement does its best to slow this trend by writing tickets. In the US, 100,000 speeding tickets are written every day, and, no doubt, Phoenix drivers get their fair share. At an average cost of $150 a ticket, the nation’s speeders pay out nearly $5.5 billion dollars in fines, and each of them faces a 22-25% increase in their car insurance premiums for the next three years.

All of these costs could be drastically reduced with better driving by all. Phoenix drivers can bring these numbers down by taking a traffic school course. Tips and reminders of how to navigate the roads safely are the main topics of any driving course, and who couldn’t use a little refresher now and then? Other benefits of taking a traffic school course include ticket dismissal and insurance savings, all at a reasonable cost.

#1 in AZ!

Check Out Our #1 Pick to Get Your Arizona Ticket Dismissed FAST! 5/5

The Easiest Way to Take Defensive Driving in Phoenix? Do it Online

Since there’s no way of knowing if the world will ever return to a “pre-Covid normal,” the easiest (and safest) way to complete a course would be to take one online. The ability to work at your own pace from your own place makes it the most convenient way, too. Any of the schools listed below offer courses approved for ticket dismissal and/or insurance discount. And you can choose any of them with confidence that they are fully certified by the Arizona Supreme Court.

Best Supreme Court-Approved Online Traffic Schools

Name	Phone	Languages Available	Register NOW!
	800-660-8908	English	Get Started
#1 in AZ!	888-329-7069	English/ Spanish	Get Started
	800-732-4135	English	Get Started

Tired of Being Cooped Up?

If you’ve seen enough of the inside of your house lately, you can still get out and take defensive driving in a classroom. Be ready to mask up and work around some limited schedules, but these guys are still “doing the deal.”

Depending on the school, classroom defensive driving has always been fun; being in the presence of humans again might even make it more so. Now I’m not gonna lie; classroom defensive driving in Phoenix is hard to find anymore. Here are a couple of schools where you can still take defensive driving in the presence of other humans.

West Valley PHX Defensive Driving School

Offering informative, entertaining defensive driving classes, you’ll love the convenience and quality of the courses provided by West Valley PHX Defensive Driving School. This school’s classes have a unique game show format, so you’ll have fun while learning practical defensive driving knowledge.

11450 W Hilton Way, Avondale, AZ 85323, or call (623) 243-6800

Stop and Go Driving School

Stop and Go Driving School offers both defensive driving and traffic survival school. Additionally, they also offer Alive at 25, a defensive driving course designed for teenagers and young adults behind the wheel.

1933 W Main St Ste 2B, Mesa, AZ 85201, or call (602) 896-9606

Absolutely Just My Luck Traffic Survival School

Founded by a single mother of three, Absolutely Just My Luck Traffic Survival School has been on a mission to change traffic survival school for the better since 2000. Offering classes with high energy, personality, and fun, drivers learn to take ownership of unnecessary risks behind the wheel and change their driving habits for good.

5151 N 16th St Ste 124, Phoenix, AZ 85016, or call (623) 853-8575

Arizona Academy of Defensive Driving

With multiple locations and several classes each week, the Arizona Academy of Defensive Driving is a convenient option for completing your traffic school requirement. With friendly customer service and helpful reminders, you’ll learn new skills in safe driving. 

21640 N 19th Ave Ste C-101, Phoenix, AZ 85027, or call (602) 431-0707

Arizona Traffic Schools

Locally owned and operated, Arizona Traffic Schools offers defensive driving courses statewide. The school encourages students to take advantage of their offered courses to improve legal standing, lower out-of-pocket costs, and become safer drivers from their refreshers on defensive driving and applicable traffic laws. And they know what they’re talking about―Instructor Tom Drisler was awarded the MVD/NSC instructor of the year award.

25 S Arizona Pl Ste 330, Chandler, AZ 85225, or call (480) 857-4000

Express Ticket Dismissal

It’s all in the name, right? Express Ticket Dismissal is a local school providing the highest quality defensive driving classes for ticket dismissal, Insurance discount, and employment. To make things easy for you, Express Ticket Dismissal will submit your completion record to the court at no additional charge.

250 S Arizona Ave #2, Chandler, AZ 85225 or call (480) 430-0408, or you can Find them on Facebook

If You Have Received a Ticket in Phoenix

Defensive driving courses (a.k.a.traffic school) can be used to improve driving skills and earn insurance discounts, but the benefit most people look for is ticket dismissal. 

The first step to taking traffic school is receiving permission to do so. The Phoenix process for asking “pretty please” looks like this:

• Register for a defensive driving class
• Complete the class at least 7 calendar days before your scheduled court appearance. The school will notify the Court of your class completion.
• For any additional charges written on the Complaint, you must take appropriate action by your scheduled court date. ​

Dismissal for most citations is possible unless the ticket was written:

• For speeding 25 miles per hour (or more) over the posted limit
• Passing a stopped school bus
• In a posted construction zone while workers are present
• Leaving the scene of an accident
• Fleeing police

Here is a complete listing of citations eligible for dismissal.

You are also ineligible for defensive driving if you have dismissed a ticket with it in the past 12 months.

If you hold a Commercial Drivers License (CDL), things are a little different. Your ticket will still be reported to the Arizona Motor Vehicle Department, but no points will be assessed. 

Driving in Phoenix

Phoenix is a fairly easy town to navigate by car, but it can take a little time to get to work. The average one-way commute to work in Phoenix is 25.4 minutes, a little better than the US average of 26.4 minutes. 

How people in Phoenix get to work:

• 74.6% drive their own car alone
• 12.5% carpool with others
•  5.4% work from home
•  3.3% take mass transit

More Cool Stuff About Phoenix

Phoenix is a city with lots to see and do for tourists and residents alike. It doesn’t matter what you like, Phoenix has something for everyone. 

• Like Learning?—Check out one of the many local museums, like:
  • The Heard Museum celebrating Native American art and culture
  • Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, featuring the art and history of the Old West 
  • The Musical Instrument Museum, with its collection of over 15,000 instruments from 200 countries 
• Bit of a Foodie?—Check out these suggestions from VisitArizona.com
• Fan of the Off-Beat?—Give one of these a go
  • Visit the Mystery Castle at South Mountain Park
  • Drop by the Hall of Flame Museum and see a collection of firefighting equipment dating back to the 18th century
  • Enjoy the otherworldly beauty of the cactus garden at Tovrea Castle

No Matter Your Plans

Whatever you decide to see or do in Phoenix, be careful driving to get there. Without question, the driving environment here can pose some real traffic challenges. Consider taking a defensive driving course to make sure you get to your “whatever” safely.

John Fabel

I have a long and checkered history with defensive driving. I took my first "court invited" course at age 15 and realized immediately that there had to be a better way. Since that first experience, I have gone on to teach defensive driving classroom courses and to author four internet courses in 2 states. After nearly 25 years in the industry, I can help you find a course that will be the best fit for you.