From October 16th to 23rd in Arkansas, you can pay to text while driving! Let me rephrase that… You can get a fine and maybe end up with criminal charges – and not just during this one week. Umm anyway, Arkansas State Police calls it “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.”
Police agencies all over the state will use this week to focus on finding people looking at their little screen when they should be looking through the big window. ? To help everyone understand, I put this in football terms…
When you’re driving, you need to stay in the game, don’t get an injury or cause one, don’t wave at people in the stand during play, and don’t get ejected or kicked off the team. They are working with referees– ? er, I mean state and local law enforcement agencies to encourage drivers to put down their phones while driving.
7 Ways to Score Points, not Penalties with Texting & Driving:
?1. The Assist – Ask your passenger to be a “designated texter.” Give a passenger your phone for responding to calls or messages.
?2. The Sideline – If you are expecting a text message or need to send one, pull over and park in a safe location. After you are off the roadway and stopped, it’s safe to text.
?3. The Block – The third way is just don’t. Do not engage in social media scrolling or messaging while driving.
?4. The Timeout – activate your phone’s “do not disturb” feature.
?5. The Hail Mary – Throw it anywhere. Put your phone in the trunk, glove box, or back seat of your vehicle until you arrive at your destination.
?6. The Huddle – Listen to your passengers: If they catch you texting while driving and tell you to put your phone away, put it down.
?7. The Locker Room – If you see someone texting while driving, speak up. If friends text while driving, tell them to stop.
But texting while driving is fine! Let me rephrase that… Fines for distracted driving can range from up to $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for any subsequent offense. Fines can be doubled if a crash results from a violation of this law.
You could also be charged with a crime. Arkansas lawmakers passed a bill to enhance the existing penalties of the “Fewer Distractions Mean Safer Driving Act” A.C.A. § 27-51-1607. Violating this can result in more penalties. It can be classified as a Class A Misdemeanor if serious physical injury or death result from a distraction-related crash.
You can get pulled over just for this one thing. Arkansas law prohibits the use of a hand-held cell phone for texting, typing, emailing or accessing the internet while driving, regardless of the driver’s age. It is also a “primary offense” law, which means a state trooper, police officer or sheriff’s deputy can initiate a traffic stop without observing any other violation. The AHSO and NHTSA urge drivers to put their phones away when behind the wheel.
Don’t add to the death toll. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 32,657 people died in distraction-related crashes over the 10-year period from 2012 to 2021. A distraction-related crash is any traffic crash in which a driver was identified as distracted at the time of the crash. Research shows that Millennials and Generation Z are the most distracted drivers, often using their cell phones to talk, text, and scroll through social media while behind the wheel. In 2021, 15 to 34 years old were 61% of drivers distracted by cell phones in fatal crashes.
Parents, talk to your kids and set an example. During the upcoming enforcement period, parents are encouraged to discuss with their teenage children the subject of developing safe driving habits. This includes never sending or reading text messages or accessing social media while driving. National Teen Driver Safety Week is October 15 – 21, so set a good example for teenagers who are beginning to drive. When you get behind the wheel, make the smart choice to drive safely and put your phone away. Just because other people do it doesn’t mean texting and driving is safe behavior.
Pedestrians aren’t points or penalties, they are people. Distracted driving has impacted the rise in fatalities of non-motorists as well, with pedestrians and bicyclists being increasingly affected. In 2021, there were 644 pedestrians, bicyclists, and others killed in distraction-related traffic crashes across the United States. For the same year in Arkansas, there were 79 pedestrian fatalities and 10 bicyclist fatalities.
For more information, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/distracted-driving or call the Arkansas Highway Safety Office at (501) 618-8136. Also learn more about Arkansas’ ongoing Toward Zero Deaths campaign to eliminate preventable traffic fatalities, visit www.TZDArkansas.org