Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – New data shows that while speeding may be driving the majority of fatal teen crashes across Arkansas, the streets of Jonesboro are seeing a different problem: Distracted drivers.

According to a July report by driver education firm Zutobi, Arkansas cut its teen road fatalities by more than half last year, down to 28 deaths. However, speeding was still a factor in 19 of those 28 fatal crashes.

It’s an issue that safety advocates across the state are trying to solve. But inside the Jonesboro Police Department’s (JPD) Traffic Division, the data tells a different story.

According to 2025 JPD crash data, minor drivers (under the age of 21) were involved in 772 crashes in Jonesboro. Only 13 of those crashes (1.6%) were attributed to speeding. Distracted driving, however, accounted for exactly double that amount, causing 26 minor-involved accidents.

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Sgt. Michael Bush attributes this disconnect to the city’s rapid growth and resulting traffic congestion.

“When you start adding in the ASU students coming here, I believe our population is approximately 85,000-ish inside the city, and then probably swells over 40,000 more with the students,” he said. “When you have that much congestion, of course, that’s going to bring your speeds down.”

The data goes on to say minors were involved in roughly 25% of all 3,032 crashes the city recorded last year. Despite this, only one of those crashes resulted in a minor fatality— a passenger in a minor-driven vehicle.

For JPD, the high number of minor fender-benders combined with the low fatality rate means officers cannot specifically target teen drivers. Instead, Bush said they focus on the specific behaviors, like distracted driving, that cause accidents across all age groups.

“I don’t care if you’re 16 or you’re 76. If you’re distracted driving, you’re exceeding posted speed limits, and running red lights, we’re going to do traffic enforcement,” he said.

Much of that targeted enforcement is funded through Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grants, allowing JPD to run specific mobilizations focusing on distracted driving, DUIs, seatbelts, and speed. However, Bush noted that outside of DWI funding, the department’s grant money for those mobilizations is running out as the fiscal year ends in October.

While the statewide data points to speeding as the top threat to minor drivers, Bush’s advice to parents teaching their kids to navigate Jonesboro’s congested streets is far simpler.

“Put your phones down, quit messing with things in your car, slow down, and create distance,” he advised. “Don’t anticipate what the other driver is going to do.”

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