In 2009 Congress passed Act 181 establishing Paul’s Law, prohibiting drivers of motor vehicles from using handheld cellular telephones to engage in text messaging. The new law went into effect in October.
The new law was sponsored by State Representative Ray Kidd after Jonesboro resident Paul Davidson was killed by a driver who admitted to police he was sending a text message when the accident happened.
The stated purpose of the bill is to “Improve the safety of the roads for all drivers and passengers by prohibiting drivers of motor vehicles from engaging in text messaging; prevent accidents caused by the distractive practice of text messaging while operating a motor vehicle; preserve human life and maintain the safety of the citizens of the State of Arkansas and visitors to our state by taking steps to reduce motor vehicle accidents, injuries, and deaths.”
At the same time Paul’s Law was put into effect, so was Act 247 which prohibits a driver under 18 years of age from operating a motor vehicle while using a cellular telephone at all. It is dubbed the “Fewer Distractions Mean Safer Driving Act.” Under this law no cell phone usage is acceptable except for contacting any of the following to report an emergency: law enforcement, fire department, public safety personnel, emergency medical personnel, or a 911 public safety communications center. The law does not prohibit the use of any hands-free devices.
NEABT contacted the Arkansas State Police to see if there is any sort of record how many tickets have been given since the new law took effect, but Lieutenant Robert Spear said his department currently is not equipped to keep up with those statistics. Even though ASP is currently updating their software to track the information, Spear said, “If it (the new law) helped save one life it has been effective.”
The law allows for law enforcement to pull a driver over for text messaging while driving and could be punishable by up to a $100 fine, and is classified as a misdemeanor.
