Arkansas Highway Police to use cameras to detect cell phone use in work zones

Drivers holding cell phones in Arkansas highway work zones will soon face a new watchful eye: cameras that can alert police to pull them over.

The Arkansas Highway Police, a division of the state Department of Transportation, plans to expand its work zone camera technology by mid-January to detect handheld device usage, officials announced. The cameras already monitor speeding on interstate work zones.

“It is against Arkansas law to use a handheld device in a work zone,” Highway Police Chief Jeff Holmes said. “Until now, the hands-free law in work zones has been relatively difficult to enforce. This new technology will help us keep road workers and the traveling public safer.”

The system works by detecting when a driver is holding a cell phone or other handheld device, then sending an alert to an officer stationed downstream from the camera. The officer can then safely stop the driver after they exit the work zone.

Unlike some automated traffic enforcement systems, this is not a ticket-by-mail program. An officer must be present to issue a warning or citation.

Signs will alert motorists when they are entering work zones with camera enforcement. State law requires that data captured by the cameras be deleted unless it is used to issue a warning or citation.

Transportation Director Jared Wiley said safety remains the department’s priority.

“This includes the safety of workers within work zones, travelers passing through work zones, and officers stationed in or near work zones,” Wiley said. “Everyone deserves to make it home safely.”