Dear Mahatma: Why don't the Arkansas State Police write tickets for texting while driving? Every day on the commute to and from Little Rock and Conway on Interstate 40, texting fools weave, go too slow or shift unexpectedly into adjacent lanes. The common factor is fingers flying over cellphones. -- Frustrated with Knuckleheads
Dear Knuckle: Bill Sadler of the state police appeared enthused to have the chance to address this issue.
Summarizing Sadler: Au contraire.
After which he said that in 2014, a total of 317 violator citations and 333 warnings were written by state troopers for use of a wireless telephone to text, in violation of Arkansas Code Annotated 27-51-1501.
As of March 24 this year, troopers issued 152 tickets or warnings for texting while driving. Of those, 32 were issued by Troop A, which patrols Pulaski, Faulkner, Saline and Lonoke counties.
And another thing -- so far this year in Troop A, the troopers have issued 972 violations for offenses that may be directly or indirectly linked with texting. Following too closely, 263 violations. Reckless driving, 23 violations. Careless and prohibited driving, 686 violations.
The most interesting by far is the number of violations for careless and prohibited driving. The statute, Arkansas Code Annotated 27-51-104, describes the offense as operating a vehicle "in any manner when the driver is inattentive and such inattention is not reasonable and prudent in maintaining vehicular control."
Dear Mahatma: I commute from Conway to North Little Rock and often come in close contact with trucks carrying sand, rock or debris. They never have a cover. Neither do they have license plates on the back. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I've had at least six windshield chips repaired and three windshields replaced because of these trucks. Doesn't the law require a cover? Shouldn't these trucks have license plates? -- Rock Magnet
Dear Rocky: Arkansas Code Annotated 27-14-716 allows trucks one ton or larger to have license plates on either the front or back. This comes from Chief Ron Burks of the Arkansas Highway Police.
He also explains about Arkansas Code Annotated 27-35-110, which requires bed covers for open-bed trucks manufactured after Sept. 30, 2001, and which are carrying sand, gravel or rock. Trucks manufactured before that date need no cover if they maintain six inches of space between the top of the load and the top of the bed.
There's more out there than sand, rock and gravel to be concerned about, Burks said. Over the past 24 months, his officers wrote 872 citations for leaking, spilling, blowing or falling cargo.
Cargo included oil, wood chips, sand, gravel, rock, dirt, mud, lumber, scrap metal, wet cement, sludge, rice hulls, cotton seed, corn, hay, animal feed, meat and chicken parts.
Vanity plate seen on a yellow Ford: YELODOG
Mahatma@arkansasonline.com
Metro on 05/02/2015