Phone Laws and Distracted Driving

Key points

1. Under 18, no cell phone use is allowed, not even hands free devices.

   Source: Handbook p. 46

   “Under eighteen (18) years of age cell phone use is not allowed. The use of hands-free devices is not allowed.”
   Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, Handbook p. 46

2. Class D drivers 18 to 20 may use a hands free device while driving.

   Source: Handbook p. 4

   “A Class D driver who is at least eighteen (18) but less than twenty-one (21) years of age may use a handsfree wireless telephone or device”
   Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, Handbook p. 4

3. Text messages are not allowed at any age.

   Source: Handbook p. 4

   “A hand-held wireless telephone can only be used for emergencies. Text messages are not allowed regardless of age.”
   Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, Handbook p. 4

4. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds, like a football field at 55 mph.

   Source: Handbook p. 45

   “Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.”
   Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, Handbook p. 45

5. Using a hand held cell phone involves visual, manual and cognitive distraction at the same time.

   Source: Handbook p. 46

   “a hand-held cell phone involves three different types of distraction that occur at the same time: • Visual Taking your eyes off the road • Manual Taking your hands off the wheel • Cognitive Taking your mind off driving”
   Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, Handbook p. 46

6. Teens who text while driving are 23 times more likely to crash.

   Source: Handbook p. 17

   “distracted teens who are texting while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash.”
   Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, Handbook p. 17

7. Learner's and intermediate drivers may use a phone only in an emergency.

   Source: Handbook p. 3

   “The use of a cell phone, whether it is talking or texting, is prohibited by law except for an emergency.”
   Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, Handbook p. 3

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Arkansas practice test

1. 1. A 25 year old Arkansas driver wants to send a quick text at a slow speed. What does the Arkansas guide say?

   1. It is allowed for drivers over 21
   2. Text messages are not allowed regardless of age
   3. It is allowed with one hand on the wheel
   4. It is allowed on rural roads
   Show answer

   Text messages are not allowed regardless of age. The Arkansas guide states that text messages are not allowed regardless of age. Being over 21 does not create a texting exception; age only matters for phone calls, where drivers 18 to under 21 may use hands-free devices and drivers under 18 on graduated licenses may use a phone only in an emergency. Speed, one handed driving, and rural roads do not change the texting ban.

2. 2. What phone restriction applies to an Arkansas Class D driver who is 18 but under 21?

   1. Handheld calls are allowed, but texting is banned until the driver turns 21
   2. Hands-free interactive communication is allowed, but handheld use is limited to emergencies
   3. No phone use of any kind is allowed until the driver turns 21
   4. Handheld calls are allowed on interstates only
   Show answer

   Hands-free interactive communication is allowed, but handheld use is limited to emergencies. For a Class D driver in this age band, the guide permits a hands-free wireless telephone or device for interactive communication while driving. A handheld wireless telephone is limited to emergencies, and texting remains prohibited regardless of age. The interstate choice invents an exception, and a complete phone ban is stricter than the rule. The practical check is the device and the type of use: hands-free communication may qualify, while a handheld call does not except for an emergency.

3. 3. What cell phone use does Arkansas allow for a driver under 18?

   1. Hands free calls only
   2. Calls but not texts
   3. Any use when stopped at a light
   4. None except in an emergency, not even hands free devices
   Show answer

   None except in an emergency, not even hands free devices. Under the Fewer Distractions Means Safer Driving Act, drivers under 18 may not use a cell phone except in an emergency, and hands free devices are not allowed for them either. Drivers 18 or older may use a hands free device, though it is not recommended, and drivers 21 or older may use a cell phone, though the guide warns it is never safe to talk and drive. Texting is prohibited for everyone under the No Texting Law.

Source: the Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, Distracted Driving. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.