Arkansas · Handbook chapter 2 · 5 min read

Arkansas seat belt and child seat laws, smoking with children, littering, hot cars, the move-over law, school buses, accessible parking and what to do when a police officer stops you.

Why this chapter matters

The study guide opens with the Arkansas laws that apply on every trip: buckling up, protecting children, stopping for school buses and making room for emergency vehicles. These rules carry real fines, and several of them are tested with exact ages and distances.

Seat belts

• Since June 30, 2009, an officer can stop you just for not wearing a seat belt: it is a primary offense.
• The driver and the front-seat passenger must wear a belt. The fine is up to $25 plus court costs.
• With an instruction permit, learner's or intermediate license, every passenger must be buckled.

Children in the car

• A child under 6 who weighs less than 60 pounds must ride in a child passenger safety seat fastened to the vehicle.
• Every child under 15 must wear a proper restraint while the vehicle moves.
• It is illegal to smoke tobacco in a vehicle with a child under 14 on board.
• Never leave children or pets alone in a car. On a hot day the inside quickly becomes far hotter than the outside: the guide says the temperature climbs about 15 degrees every 9 minutes, so a 90-degree day can mean about 109 degrees inside after 10 minutes.

Littering

Throwing trash from a vehicle is against the law. A first offense brings a fine of $100 to $1,000 and up to eight hours of community service; a second within three years, up to $2,000 and up to 24 hours. If litter is thrown from a vehicle, the driver is presumed responsible.

The move-over law

• When a police car, fire truck, ambulance or other emergency vehicle comes with a siren or air horn and red or blue flashing lights, pull to the right edge of the road, or as near to it as you can, and let it pass. If you are already in an intersection, drive through it first, then pull over.
• On a multilane highway, move to the lane farthest away from a stopped law enforcement vehicle with its lights on, whenever possible. If you cannot change lanes safely, slow down.
• Arkansas extends this protection to ARDOT, utility and construction vehicles and tow trucks with flashing lights.
• Breaking the law can mean a fine, jail, community service and a license suspension of up to six months.

School buses

• When a school bus is stopped with its red lights flashing, you must stop completely, whatever lane you are in: behind it, in the opposite lane or at an intersection.
• Stay stopped until the bus has finished loading or unloading and moves off without its red lights flashing.
• The only exception: traffic on the other side of a median 20 feet or wider does not have to stop. If the median is narrower, every lane stops.
• School buses must stop at every railroad crossing, so be ready for that.
• Passing a stopped school bus is a misdemeanor with a fine of $250 to $1,000 and up to 90 days in jail. Causing a death this way is a felony.

Accessible parking

• To use a marked accessible space, the vehicle needs the special license plate with the international symbol or a hanging Special Certificate (hang tag).
• The person with the disability must be in the vehicle and must get out when the space is used, and must carry the matching photo ID card.
• Using someone else's certificate is fraud: $100 to $500 for a first offense.

When an officer stops you

• Signal and pull to the right at the closest safe spot. If you are unsure it is a real officer, signal, drive to a well-lit place and call 911 to confirm.
• Stay in the car unless told to get out, keep your hands visible on the wheel, and turn on the interior light at night.
• You must show your license, proof of insurance and registration when asked. Say where they are before reaching for them, and tell the officer about any weapon in the car.
• Your signature on a citation does not mean you admit guilt; it only promises that you will go to court or pay the fine. Argue a ticket in court, not at the roadside.