A.Â
It shall
be the duty of the officers of the Department of Public Safety or
such officers as are assigned by the Director to enforce all traffic
laws of the City and all of the State vehicle laws applicable to traffic
in the City.
B.Â
Officers
of the Department of Public Safety or such officers as are assigned
by the Director are hereby authorized to direct all traffic by voice,
hand or signal in conformance with traffic laws; provided that, in
the event of a fire or other emergency or to expedite traffic or to
safeguard pedestrians, officers of the Department of Public Safety
may direct traffic as conditions may require notwithstanding the provisions
of the traffic laws.
No person shall knowingly fail or refuse to comply with any
lawful order or direction of a Public Safety Officer.
Every person propelling any pushcart or riding an animal upon
a roadway, and every person driving any animal-drawn vehicle, shall
be subject to the provisions of this Title applicable to the driver
of any vehicle, except those provisions of this Title which by their
very nature can have no application.
No person upon roller skates, or riding in or by means of any
coaster, toy vehicle, skateboard or similar device, shall go upon
any roadway except while crossing a street on a crosswalk and when
so crossing such person shall be granted all of the rights and shall
be subject to all of the duties applicable to pedestrians. This Section
shall not apply upon any street while set aside as a play street as
authorized by ordinance of the City.
The provisions of this Title shall apply to the driver of any
vehicle owned by or used in the service of the United States Government,
this State, County or City and it shall be unlawful for any said driver
to violate any of the provisions of this Title, except as otherwise
permitted in this Title.
A.Â
Upon the immediate approach of an emergency vehicle giving audible signal by siren or while having at least one (1) lighted lamp exhibiting red light visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of such vehicle or a flashing blue light authorized by Section 310.070 of this Chapter, the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as far as possible to the right of, the traveled portion of the highway and thereupon stop and remain in such position until such emergency vehicle has passed, except when otherwise directed by a Public Safety or Traffic Officer.
B.Â
Upon
approaching a stationary emergency vehicle displaying lighted red
or red and blue lights, the driver of every motor vehicle shall:
1.Â
Proceed
with caution and yield the right-of-way, if possible with due regard
to safety and traffic conditions, by making a lane change into a lane
not adjacent to that of the stationary vehicle, if on a roadway having
at least four (4) lanes with not less than two (2) lanes proceeding
in the same direction as the approaching vehicle; or
2.Â
Proceed
with due caution and reduce the speed of the vehicle, maintaining
a safe speed for road conditions, if changing lanes would be unsafe
or impossible.
C.Â
Responsibilities Of Driver Of Emergency Vehicle.
1.Â
The driver of any "emergency vehicle" defined in Section 300.010 of this Code shall not sound the siren thereon or have the front red lights or blue lights on except when such vehicle is responding to an emergency call or when in pursuit of an actual or suspected law violator, or when responding to, but not upon returning from, a fire.
2.Â
The
driver of an emergency vehicle may:
a.Â
Park
or stand irrespective of the provisions of Sections 304.014 to 304.025,
RSMo., and the provisions of this Code;
b.Â
Proceed
past a red or stop signal or stop sign, but only after slowing down
as may be necessary for safe operation;
c.Â
Exceed
the prima facie speed limit so long as the driver does not endanger
life or property;
d.Â
Disregard
regulations governing direction of movement or turning in specified
directions.
3.Â
The exemptions granted to an emergency vehicle pursuant to Subsection (C)(2) of this Section shall apply only when the driver of any such vehicle while in motion sounds audible signal by bell, siren or exhaust whistle as may be reasonably necessary, and when the vehicle is equipped with at least one (1) lighted lamp displaying a red light or blue light visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of such vehicle.
D.Â
No person
shall purchase an emergency light as described in this Section without
furnishing the seller of such light an affidavit stating that the
light will be used exclusively for emergency vehicle purposes.
Motor vehicles and equipment, not otherwise defined in this Title as an authorized emergency vehicle, which are operated by any member of an organized Fire Department, ambulance association or rescue squad, whether paid or volunteer, may be operated on streets and highways in this City as an emergency vehicle under the provisions of Section 310.060 of this Chapter, while responding to a fire call or ambulance call or at the scene of a fire call or ambulance call and while using or sounding a warning siren and using or displaying thereon fixed, flashing or rotating blue lights, but sirens and blue lights shall be used only in bona fide emergencies. Permits for the operation of such vehicles equipped with sirens or blue lights shall be in writing and shall be issued and may be revoked by the Director of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, organized ambulance association or rescue squad and no person shall use or display a siren or rotating blue lights on a motor vehicle, fire, ambulance or rescue equipment without a valid permit authorizing the use. Permit to use a siren or lights as heretofore set out does not relieve the operator of the vehicle so equipped with complying with all other traffic laws and regulations. Violation of this Section constitutes an ordinance violation.
The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident within the City
resulting in injury to or death of any person or total property damage
to an apparent extent of five hundred dollars ($500.00) or more to
one (1) person shall give or cause to be given notice of such accident
to the Department of Public Safety as soon as reasonably possible.
The driver of a vehicle which is in any manner involved in an
accident resulting in bodily injury to or death of any person or total
property damage to an apparent extent of five hundred dollars ($500.00)
or more to one (1) person shall, within five (5) days after such accident,
forward a written report of such accident to the Department of Public
Safety. The provisions of this Section shall not be applicable when
the accident has been investigated at the scene by a Public Safety
Officer while such driver was present thereat.
A.Â
Whenever the driver of a vehicle is physically incapable of giving immediate notice of an accident as required in Section 310.080 and there was another occupant in the vehicle at the time of the accident capable of doing so, such occupant shall give or cause to be given the notice not given by the driver.
B.Â
Whenever the driver is physically incapable of making a written report of an accident as required in Section 310.090 and such driver is not the owner of the vehicle, then the owner of the vehicle involved in such accident shall, within five (5) days after the accident, make such report not made by the driver.
A.Â
A person
commits the offense of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident
when, being the operator or driver of a vehicle on the highways, streets
or roads of the City or on any publicly or privately owned parking
lot or parking facility within the City generally open for use by
the public and knowing that an injury has been caused to a person
or damage has been caused to property due to his/her culpability or
to accident, he/she leaves the place of the injury, damage or accident
without stopping and giving his/her name, residence, including City
and street number, motor vehicle number and driver's license number,
if any, to the injured party or to a Public Safety Officer, or if
no Public Safety Officer is in the vicinity, then to the nearest Public
Safety station or judicial officer.
B.Â
For the
purposes of this Section, all Peace Officers shall have jurisdiction,
when invited by an injured person, to enter the premises of any such
privately owned parking lot or parking facility for the purpose of
investigating an accident and performing all necessary duties regarding
such accident.