Arkansas driving law, answered
Every answer here comes from Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, with the page or the section it is in.
Manuals fetched on 4 October 2026. How the answers are made
How far from a fire hydrant must you park?
In Arkansas, parking is not allowed within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. Firefighters need the hydrant at once, and a car parked beside it can cost them minutes.
Within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant
As of 4 Oct 2026
How far from a fire station driveway must you park?
In Arkansas, parking is not allowed within 20 feet of a fire station driveway on the same side of the street, or where proper signs are posted. Fire trucks leave in a hurry and swing wide, and a parked car can block their way out.
Within twenty (20) feet of a fire station driveway on the same side of the street, or street where proper signs are posted.
As of 4 Oct 2026
How close to the curb must you park?
In Arkansas, if you park on the roadway, park your vehicle as far away from traffic as possible; if there is a curb, park as close to the curb as possible. Every foot closer to the curb is a foot farther from the cars going past.
If there is a curb, park as close to the curb as possible.
As of 4 Oct 2026
When must you stop for a school bus with flashing red lights?
In Arkansas, when you approach a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing, you must make a complete stop and stay stopped until the lights are turned off. Children may still be crossing after they leave the bus, and the lights stay on until the bus driver knows they are clear.
When approaching a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing, a driver is required to make a complete stop until the lights are turned off.
As of 4 Oct 2026
When must you turn on your headlights?
Turn on your headlights 30 minutes after sunset and keep them on until 30 minutes before sunrise. Around dusk and dawn the light fades fast, and other drivers lose sight of an unlit car before you notice it is dark.
Turn on your headlights a ½ hour (30 minutes) after sunset, a ½ hour (30 minutes) before sunrise, or anytime you cannot see a person or object clearly within 500 feet.
As of 4 Oct 2026
How far from an oncoming vehicle must you dim your high beams?
Dim your high beams whenever you come within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle. High beams blind an oncoming driver, and a driver who cannot see may drift into your lane.
Dim your high beams whenever you come within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle.
As of 4 Oct 2026
Who must wear a seat belt?
Arkansas law makes it illegal to drive, or to ride as a front-seat passenger, without wearing a safety belt. In a crash an unbelted person is thrown into the windshield, the dash or out of the car, and the belt is what holds them in place.
Arkansas law makes it illegal to drive or to be a front-seat passenger, without wearing a safety belt.
As of 4 Oct 2026
When must a child ride in a car seat?
In Arkansas, a child less than 6 years old who weighs less than 60 pounds must be restrained in a child passenger safety seat properly secured to the vehicle. An adult belt does not fit a small child and can hurt them in a crash, while a secured child seat holds them safely.
A child who is less than six (6) years of age and who weighs less than sixty (60) pounds shall be restrained in a child passenger safety seat properly secured to the vehicle.
As of 4 Oct 2026
What is the legal blood alcohol limit for adult drivers?
In Arkansas, you will be arrested for driving while intoxicated with an alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more in the breath or blood. At that level every driver's judgment and control are badly impaired, so the law draws a hard line there.
You will be arrested for driving while intoxicated with an alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more in the breath (grams/210 liters) or blood (grams/100 milliliters, the same as 0.08%).
As of 4 Oct 2026
What is the blood alcohol limit for drivers under 21?
In Arkansas, a driver under 21 can be arrested for Underage Driving Under the Influence with an alcohol concentration of 0.02%. A driver under 21 may not drink at all, so the limit is set at barely more than a trace.
You can be arrested for Underage Driving Under the Influence if your alcohol concentration is 0.02%breath or blood alcohol concentration.
As of 4 Oct 2026
What happens if you refuse a breath or blood alcohol test?
If a law enforcement officer instructs you to take an alcohol test, you are compelled by law to do so, and you can lose your driver's license if you refuse. Driving is a privilege that comes with agreeing to be tested, so refusing does not get a drinking driver off.
You can lose your driver’s license if you refuse to take an alcohol test.
As of 4 Oct 2026
May you text while driving?
Arkansas has a No Texting Law: text messages are not allowed while driving, regardless of age. Texting takes your eyes off the road for seconds at a time, which is just as deadly for an adult as for a teen.
27-51-1501 – No Texting Law
As of 4 Oct 2026
May you turn right on a red light?
In Arkansas the driver may turn right on red unless there is a sign prohibiting a right turn on red. Some corners hide cross traffic or carry heavy foot traffic, and the sign marks the places where turning on red is too risky.
The driver may turn right on red unless there is a sign prohibiting a right turn on red.
As of 4 Oct 2026
How old must you be to get a learner's permit?
To apply for an Arkansas instruction permit, you must be at least 14 years old. Starting young gives a new driver years of supervised practice before they ever drive alone.
To apply for an Instruction Permit, the applicant must be at least 14 years old.
As of 4 Oct 2026
Who must ride with you when you drive on a learner's permit?
An Arkansas instruction permit holder may drive with a licensed driver who is 21 or older and sits in the seat beside them. An experienced adult can spot trouble a new driver misses and talk them through it before it becomes a crash.
The applicant with an Instruction Permit may drive with a licensed driver who is 21 or older AND occupies the seat beside the driver.
As of 4 Oct 2026
What hours may a provisional driver not drive?
An Arkansas intermediate license holder may not drive between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older and driving to and from a school activity, church activity, job or emergency. Darkness and late hours make driving harder for a new driver, so the law keeps them off the road then.
A driver with an Intermediate License cannot operate a motor vehicle between the hours of 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is 21 or older AND driving to and from a school activity, church activity, job, or an emergency.
As of 4 Oct 2026
How many passengers may a new provisional driver carry?
An Arkansas intermediate license holder may not drive with more than 1 unrelated minor passenger unless accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older in the front seat. Each extra teen in the car is another distraction for a new driver, and distraction is what causes many young drivers' crashes.
A driver with an Intermediate License shall not operate a motor vehicle with more than one (1) unrelated minor passenger unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is 21 or older AND occupies the front seat of the vehicle.
As of 4 Oct 2026
What is the penalty for littering from a vehicle?
In Arkansas, a first littering conviction can bring a fine of up to $1,000. Roadside litter is a danger to drivers as well as an eyesore, and cleaning it up costs everyone.
Upon conviction, first offenders are subject to a fine of up to $1,000 and not more than eight hours of community service.
As of 4 Oct 2026
What is the fine for a first drunk-driving conviction?
For a first alcohol conviction in Arkansas, you will be fined from $150 to $1000, in addition to court costs. A heavy fine on the first offense is meant to stop a driver before a second offense, or a crash, ever happens.
If you are found guilty of an alcohol violation and it is your first conviction, you will be fined from $150 to $1000, in addition to court costs.
As of 4 Oct 2026
How long can you be jailed for a first drunk-driving conviction?
For a first alcohol conviction in Arkansas, you could also be sentenced to 1 year in jail. The threat of jail on the first offense shows how seriously the state treats drinking and driving.
You could also be sentenced to one (1) year in jail, and your license could be suspended for 120 days.
As of 4 Oct 2026
How long is your license suspended for a first drunk-driving conviction?
For a first alcohol conviction in Arkansas, your license could be suspended for 120 days. Taking the license away keeps a proven drinking driver off the road while the lesson sinks in.
You could also be sentenced to one (1) year in jail, and your license could be suspended for 120 days.
As of 4 Oct 2026
Must a vehicle driving slower than other traffic keep to the right lane?
In Arkansas, on a road with three or more lanes traveling in the same direction, remain in the right lane except to pass. Keeping right leaves the other lanes free for passing, so faster cars are not weaving around you.
On a road with three or more lanes traveling in the same direction remain in the right lane except to pass.
As of 4 Oct 2026
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