Put down the phone, watch road
Oh Great Traffic Oracle: Texting and general phone use while driving is worse than ever. We almost never see police officers on the road much. But we always see those suspicious drivers weaving, driving distracted, or buried in their phone while in traffic. It is a daily occurrence and no one seems inclined to change behavior that is dangerous. — Safe But Worried
Dear Safe: We’re with you. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2020 there were 3,142 deaths connected to driver distraction. That amounts to about 8% of all driving fatalities. Let’s review. Arkansas law says ixnay to the use of a handheld cellphone for texting, typing, emailing or accessing the internet while driving. This rule isn’t just for phone-crazed teenagers — all ages must conform.
We have a designated text assistant. If we’re driving, the Fabulous Babe will monitor our phone. And vice versa.
How lucky can one guy get?
Dear Mahatma: Can anyone answer me why tractor-trailers are allowed to park on both entrance and exit ramps of Interstate 30? This is extremely dangerous and poses a risk to everyone entering or exiting the interstate. There are signs posted stated “No Parking” but they are ignored. Are the rules different for passenger vehicles as opposed to these tractor-trailer rigs? — Alan
Dear Alan: Chief Jeff Holmes is top guy at the Highway Police. It’s an agency of the Arkansas Department of Transportation. The main job of the Highway Police is enforcement of the trucking industry.
We will now quote him directly on this matter.
“The rules are no different and any law enforcement officer can issue a citation or warning for CMVs that are prohibitively parked. The reason many of them park in these areas is due to hours of service limitations (the drivers don’t have any hours left to drive) and the shortage of truck parking.”
A thousand new parking spots for truckers will be created at a cost of $332 million in Florida, Wisconsin, Missouri, Pennsylvania and parts of the West Coast. So said the U.S. Department of Transportation in January.
ArDot a year ago opened an 84-truck overnight parking lot in West Memphis. We’re guessing 84 trucks drive past that lot every 30 minutes.
Dear Mahatma: Thought I’d add one to the mix, seen on Hughes at Markham Street on St. Patrick’s Day 2024. It isn’t even torn up! — Chad
Dear Chad: Thanks for sending a photo of a gray Dodge SUV with a temporary license plate that expired — drum roll please — on Nov. 12, 2022. This means, to our best knowledge, that the owner of the vehicle hasn’t licensed it. Nor has he paid the sales tax.
Emails have poured in about one of last week’s vanity plates. We misspelled it. Proper spelling is LDYFRND. Quoting the Tin Man: If we only had a brain. Or was that the Scarecrow?
Vanity plate on a Mercedes: LOSTTXN. Readers may now send in (clean) jokes about Texas.