Arizona Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol says it cited 67 people for using their cell phones while driving by a fiery truck crash on May 13, 2026.
That day, a tire blew out on a truck hauling cars on Interstate 10 near South Craycroft Road. The driver swerved into the median to avoid hitting others. His truck flipped and caught fire, killing the driver, DPS spokesperson Bart Graves said.
After that, according to Graves, large numbers of people started to slow down and stop on the highway to film and take photos of the burning truck. Highway patrol responded by citing people under Arizona’s Hands Free law, which bans cell phone use while driving.
The law sets a fine between $75 and $149 for a first violation and a fine between $150 and $250 for a subsequent violation.
Graves says it was the first example of a cell phone use highway deployment in Tucson but that DPS intends to organize similar details in the future.
