Title 27 — Transportation

This chapter may be cited as the “Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act”.

(a) This chapter shall be so interpreted and construed as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the laws of those states which enact it. (b) Subchapter and section headings contained in this chapter shall not be deemed to govern, limit, modify, or in any manner affect…

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as preventing the plaintiff in any civil action from relying for relief upon the other processes provided by law.

This chapter shall in no respect be considered as a repeal of the state motor vehicle laws but shall be construed as supplemental thereto.

Except for §§ 27-19-501, 27-19-503, and 27-19-718, this chapter shall not apply with respect to any vehicle which is subject to the requirements of laws of this state requiring insurance or other security on motor vehicles.

(a) (1) After consultation with the insurance companies authorized to issue automobile liability policies or automobile physical damage policies in this state, the Insurance Commissioner shall approve a reasonable plan, fair to the insurers and equitable to their policyholders, f…

(a) (1) Except as described in subsection (d) of this section, a person or religious denomination may qualify as a self-insurer by obtaining a certificate of self-insurance issued by the Office of Motor Vehicle as described in subsection (b) of this section if:(A) The person is s…

As used in this chapter, the words and phrases defined in this subchapter shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them, unless the context otherwise requires.

“Commissioner” means the Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration acting in his or her capacity as Commissioner of Motor Vehicles of this state.

“Chauffeur” means every person who is employed for the principal purpose of operating a motor vehicle and every person who drives a motor vehicle while in use as a public or common carrier of persons or property except a person who operates a motor vehicle as a public or common c…

“Driver” means every person who drives or is in actual physical control of a vehicle.

(1) “License” means any operator's or chauffeur's license or any other license or permit to operate a motor vehicle issued under the laws of this state, including:(1) Any temporary license or instruction permit;(2) The privilege of any person to drive a motor vehicle whether or n…

“Motor vehicle” means every vehicle which is self-propelled and every vehicle which is propelled by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires but not operated upon rails.

“Nonresident” means every person who is not a resident of this state.

“Nonresident's operating privilege” means the privilege conferred upon a nonresident by the laws of this state pertaining to the operation by the person of a motor vehicle or the use of a vehicle owned by the person, in this state.

“Office” means the Office of Driver Services of this state.

“Operator” means every person other than a chauffeur, who drives or is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle upon a highway or who is exercising control over or steering a vehicle being towed by a motor vehicle.

“Owner” means a person who holds the legal title of a vehicle, or in the event a vehicle is the subject of an agreement for the conditional sale or lease thereof with the right of purchase upon performance of the conditions stated in the agreement and with an immediate right of p…

“Person” means every natural person, firm, copartnership, association, corporation, or any political subdivision of the State of Arkansas, individually or collectively, which shall include all counties, municipal corporations, public transit authorities, school districts, special…

“Registration” means the registration certificate or certificates and registration plates issued under the laws of this state pertaining to the registration of vehicles.

“Vehicle” means every device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.

Any person who shall violate any provision of this chapter for which no penalty is otherwise provided shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisoned not more than ninety (90) days, or both.

Failure to report a motor vehicle accident or to furnish additional information as required under §§ 27-19-501, 27-19-507, and 27-19-509, shall be punished by a fine not in excess of one hundred dollars ($100).

Any person who gives information required in a report or otherwise required for such purpose knowing or having reason to believe that the information is false or who shall forge, or, without authority, sign any evidence of proof of financial responsibility for the future or who f…

Any person whose license or registration has been suspended or revoked under this chapter and who, during the suspension or revocation, drives any motor vehicle upon any highway or knowingly permits any vehicle of a type subject to registration under the laws of this state owned …

Any person willfully failing to return license or registration as required in § 27-19-306 shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisoned not to exceed thirty (30) days, or both.

(a) Any person whose license or registration shall have been suspended under any provisions of this chapter, or whose policy of insurance or bond, when required under this chapter shall have been cancelled or terminated, shall immediately return his or her license and registratio…

(a) If an owner's registration has been suspended under this chapter, the registration shall not be transferred nor the vehicle in respect to which the registration was issued be registered in any other name until the Office of Driver Services is satisfied that the transfer of re…

The Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration shall administer and enforce the provisions of this chapter.

The Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration may make rules necessary for the administration of this chapter.

The Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration shall prescribe and provide suitable forms requisite or deemed necessary for the purposes of this chapter.

(1) No suspension provided for under any of the provisions of this chapter shall be issued by the Office of Driver Services until the following provisions of this section have been complied with:(1) The Office of Driver Services shall incorporate in its notice of security require…

The Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration shall receive and consider any pertinent information upon request of persons aggrieved by his or her orders or acts under any of the provisions of this chapter.

(a) Any order or act of the Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration under the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to a de novo petition of review in the circuit court of the district in which any party of interest resides. (b) The filing of a petition of…

The driver of a vehicle of a type subject to registration under the motor vehicle laws of this state that is in any manner involved in an accident within this state which accident has resulted in damage to the property of any one (1) person in excess of one thousand dollars ($1,0…

The form of accident report prescribed by the Office of Driver Services shall contain information sufficient to enable the Office of Driver Services to determine whether the requirements for the deposit of security under this chapter are inapplicable by reason of the existence of…

There shall be a presumption created that a motorist and the vehicle the motorist is operating are uninsured if the motorist has failed within ninety (90) days of the date of an accident to file or cause to be filed in his or her behalf a certificate proving that the motorist or …

The existence of insurance must be proved by means of an insurance report, which shall be on an electronic or paper form approved by the Office of Driver Services.

Unless filed electronically, the insurance report must be signed in ink and forwarded to the Office of Driver Services by the liability insurance carrier or an authorized agent of the insurance carrier within fifty (50) days of the date of the accident.

When the Office of Driver Services has determined that an insurance carrier has failed to file insurance reports within the required fifty (50) days, the Office of Driver Services shall, in its discretion, determine whether the insurance carrier is negligent in filing the require…

The driver or the owner of the vehicle involved in the accident shall furnish any additional revenue information as the Office of Driver Services may require.

The Office of Driver Services is authorized, in its discretion, to suspend the license of any person who fails to report an accident or to give correct information in connection with the report as required by the Office of Driver Services until the report has been filed and for a…

(a) An accident report is not required under this subchapter from any person who is physically incapable of making a report during the period of incapacity. (b) If any driver is physically incapable of making a required accident report and is not the owner of the vehicle involved…

Accident reports and supplemental information in connection therewith required under this subchapter may be examined by any person named in the report or his or her representative designated in writing but shall not be open to general public inspection, nor shall copying of lists…

The provisions of this subchapter requiring deposit of security and suspensions for failure to deposit security, subject to certain exemptions, shall apply to the driver and owner of any vehicle of a type subject to registration under the motor vehicle laws of this state which is…

(a) In case the driver or the owner of a vehicle of a type subject to registration under the laws of this state involved in an accident within this state has no license or registration in this state, then the driver shall not be allowed a license, nor shall the owner be allowed t…

(a) (1) Within thirty (30) days after an accident has occurred, and provided the accident has been reported to the Office of Driver Services within thirty (30) days, the Office of Driver Services shall determine the amount of security which shall be deposited to satisfy any judgm…

(1) The requirements as to security and suspension in this subchapter shall not apply to:(1) The driver or owner if the owner had in effect at the time of the accident an automobile liability policy or bond with respect to the vehicle and the driver's operation of the vehicle inv…

(a) A policy or bond shall not be effective under § 27-19-604 unless issued by an insurance company or surety company authorized or eligible to do business in this state except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, nor unless the policy or bond is subject, if the acciden…

Every depositor of security shall designate in writing every person in whose name the deposit is made and may at any time change the designation, but any single deposit of security shall be applicable only on behalf of persons required to furnish security because of the same acci…