Terms Used In Arizona Laws > Title 28 > Chapter 3 > Article 4 - Accidents

• Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Alcohol: means any substance containing any form of alcohol, including ethanol, methanol, propynol and isopropynol. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Autonomous vehicle: means a motor vehicle that is equipped with an automated driving system. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Commercial motor vehicle: means a motor vehicle or combination of vehicles that is designed, used or maintained to transport passengers or property in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise, that is a commercial motor vehicle as defined in section 28-5201 and that is not exempt from gross weight fees as prescribed in section 28-5432, subsection B. See Arizona Laws 28-601
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Conviction: means :

  (a) An unvacated adjudication of guilt or a determination that a person violated or failed to comply with the law in a court of original jurisdiction or by an authorized administrative tribunal. See Arizona Laws 28-101

• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the department of transportation acting directly or through its duly authorized officers and agents. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Drive: means to operate or be in actual physical control of a motor vehicle. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Driver: means a person who drives or is in actual physical control of a vehicle. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Driver license: means a license that is issued by a state to an individual and that authorizes the individual to drive a motor vehicle. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Fully autonomous vehicle: means an autonomous vehicle that is equipped with an automated driving system designed to function as a level four or five system under SAE J3016 and that may be designed to function either:

  (a) Solely by use of the automated driving system. See Arizona Laws 28-101

• highway: means the entire width between the boundary lines of every way if a part of the way is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Human driver: means a natural person in the vehicle who performs in real time all or part of the dynamic driving task or who achieves a minimal risk condition for the vehicle. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• License: means any license, temporary instruction permit or temporary license issued under the laws of this state or any other state that pertain to the licensing of persons to operate motor vehicles. See Arizona Laws 28-601
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Month: means a calendar month unless otherwise expressed. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Neighborhood occupantless electric vehicle: means a neighborhood electric vehicle that is not designed, intended or marketed for human occupancy. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Nonresident: means a person who is not a resident of this state as defined in section 28-2001. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Operator: means a person who drives a motor vehicle on a highway, who is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle on a highway or who is exercising control over or steering a vehicle being towed by a motor vehicle. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Owner: means :

  (a) A person who holds the legal title of a vehicle. See Arizona Laws 28-101

• Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Police officer: means an officer authorized to direct or regulate traffic or make arrests for violations of traffic rules or other offenses. See Arizona Laws 28-601
• Population: means the population according to the most recent United States decennial census. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Roadway: means that portion of a highway that is improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the berm or shoulder. See Arizona Laws 28-601
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• State: means a state of the United States and the District of Columbia. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• State highway: means a state route or portion of a state route that is accepted and designated by the board as a state highway and that is maintained by the state. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Traffic: means pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles and other conveyances either singly or together while using a highway for purposes of travel. See Arizona Laws 28-601
• Traffic survival school: means a school that is licensed pursuant to chapter 8, article 7. See Arizona Laws 28-101
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215