VAN BUREN - The Van Buren Police Department, in an effort to improve safety in School Zones, will conduct a “No Phone Zone” Campaign the week of December 11th-15th, 2017. The purpose of this campaign is to reduce the number of distracted drivers in School Zones by enforcing Arkansas Code 27-51-1609 which states:
(a) Except as provided under subsection (b) of this section, a driver of a motor vehicle shall not use a handheld wireless telephone while operating a motor vehicle when passing a school building or school zone during school hours when children are present and outside the building.
(b) A driver of a motor vehicle who is passing a school building or school zone during school hours when children are present and outside the building may use a handheld wireless telephone while operating a motor vehicle for an emergency purpose.
(c) This section does not apply to law enforcement officers.
The City of Van Buren will be posting signs at the entrance to school zones to indicate that use of handheld wireless telephones is prohibited. Officers will conduct patrols in school zones to identify drivers that are violating this statute and take enforcement action. If cited and subsequently found guilty of violating this statute, in Crawford County District Court, a driver could be fined:
(1) For a first offense:
(A) Pay a fine of two hundred dollars ($200); and
(B) Have his or her driver’s license suspended by the court for a period of not more than thirty (30) days;
(2) For a second offense occurring within five (5) years of the first offense:
(A) Pay a fine of three hundred dollars ($300); and
(B) Have his or her driver’s license suspended by the court for a period of not more than ninety (90) days; and
(3) For a third and subsequent offense occurring within five (5) years of the first offense:
(A) Pay a fine of five hundred dollars ($500); and
(B) Have his or her driver’s license suspended by the court for a period of not more than one (1) year.
Officers in marked patrol units and some in unmarked units will be working this campaign during the before and after school hours when students are arriving and departing the school campuses. We ask the public to make the effort to “Put their phones down while driving”
