The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Howard Weiss
Pima County is in the middle of a roadway safety emergency. Between 2020 and 2025, our region recorded some of the highest traffic fatality numbers in its history, with deaths rising to levels that should alarm every voter heading into the March 20 election on Propositions 418 and 419. Supporters of these measures insist that extending a half‑cent sales tax is the only way to fund safer streets. But the data tells a different story — one that demands a smarter, fairer, and more sustainable approach.
The truth is simple: Pima County doesn’t need another sales tax. It needs to use the tools that actually reduce crashes and generate revenue — enhanced traffic enforcement, a modernized gas tax and updated vehicle registration fees.
A deadly trend that demands action
The numbers are sobering:
— 2024: Pima County recorded 168 traffic deaths, including 52 pedestrians, 31 motorcyclists, and 9 bicyclists.
— 2021: 161 deaths.
— 2020: 162 deaths.
— 2025: Nearly 100 deaths in Tucson alone by December.
These are not anomalies — they are part of a sustained, worsening pattern. And fatalities are only the beginning. Pima County sees thousands of injury crashes every year, with national cost models showing:
— $1.8 million per fatal crash
— $220,000 per serious injury crash
— $24,000–$30,000 per minor injury crash
The economic burden reaches hundreds of millions annually, driving up taxes, medical costs, and insurance premiums. Arizona already has some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country, and our crash rate is a major reason why.
We have the traffic volume — and the violations — to fund safer streets without a sales tax. Pima County’s road network sees millions of vehicle trips per day. Studies from Tucson and comparable cities show:
— 40–70% of drivers exceed posted limits
— 10–25% drive 10 mph or more over
That means hundreds of thousands of ticket‑eligible speeding events occur every day, yet almost none result in citations.
Enforcement saves lives — and generates millions
Using conservative assumptions:
Minimum enforcement: 0.10% (1 out of every 1,000 violations)
— 525 citations/day
— $105,000/day
— $38 million/year
Aggressive enforcement: 0.20% (2 out of every 1,000 violations)
— 1,050 citations/day
— $210,000/day
— $76 million/year
This revenue is generated while reducing the behaviors that kill more than 160 people per year in Pima County.
Gas taxes and registration fees
Arizona’s gas tax has been stuck at 18 cents per gallon since 1991 — worth less than a nickel today. Updating it even modestly would generate tens of millions statewide, ensuring that drivers, not grocery shoppers, pay for road maintenance.
Vehicle registration fees — another user‑based tool — have also failed to keep pace with inflation or infrastructure needs. A small, targeted adjustment would provide a stable revenue stream without burdening low‑income families at the checkout counter.
Props 418 & 419 get the problem backwards
The RTA’s proposed 20‑year sales tax extension asks Pima County residents to pay more — especially low‑income families — while ignoring the most immediate, effective tools we have to reduce fatalities, injuries, and insurance costs.
A sales tax does nothing to slow drivers down.
Enforcement does.
A sales tax burdens every household.
Gas taxes and registration fees burden only road users.
A no vote is a vote for safer streets
Pima County’s fatality and injury crisis is real and urgent. But raising sales taxes is not the solution. Enforcing the laws we already have and modernizing the user‑based revenue tools we’ve neglected for 35 years is.
On March 20, voters can demand a strategy that reduces deaths, cuts injury costs, lowers insurance premiums and generates tens of millions annually without raising the cost of living.
A vote no on Props 418 and 419 is a vote for a safer, fairer and more responsible Pima County.
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