[Ord. No. 218 §2, 1-4-1988; RSMo. §300.075]
A. It
shall be the duty of the Officers of the Police Department or such
Officers as are assigned by the Chief of Police to enforce all street
traffic laws of the City and all of the State vehicle laws applicable
to street traffic in the City.
B. Officers
of the Police Department or such Officers as are assigned by the Chief
of Police 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 Police Department may direct traffic
as conditions may require notwithstanding the provisions of the traffic
laws.
C. Officers
of the Fire Department, when at the scene of a fire, may direct or
assist the police in directing traffic thereat or in the immediate
vicinity.
[Ord. No. 218 §2, 1-4-1988; RSMo. §300.085]
Every person propelling any push cart 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.
[Ord. No. 218 §2, 1-4-1988; RSMo. §300.090]
No person upon roller skates, or riding in or by means of any
coaster, toy vehicle, 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.
[Ord. No. 218 §2, 1-4-1988; RSMo. §300.095]
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.
[Ord. No. 870 §§1 —
2, 10-19-2009; Ord. No. 1200, 8-3-2020]
A. 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 307.175, RSMo.; the drive 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 Police or Traffic Officer.
B. Upon
approaching a stationary vehicle displaying lighted red or red and
blue lights, or a stationary vehicle displaying lighted amber or amber
and white lights, the driver of every motor vehicle shall:
1. 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. 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. The
motorman of every streetcar shall immediately stop such car clear
of any intersection and keep it in such position until the emergency
vehicle has passed, except as otherwise directed by a Police or Traffic
Officer.
D. An
"emergency vehicle" is a vehicle of any of the following types:
1. A vehicle operated by the State Highway Patrol, a conservation agent,
those vehicles operated by enforcement personnel of the State Highways
and Transportation Commission, Police or Fire Department, Sheriff,
Constable or Deputy Sheriff, Federal Law Enforcement Officer authorized
to carry firearms and to make arrests for violations of the laws of
the United States, traffic officer or coroner or by a privately owned
emergency vehicle company;
2. A vehicle operated as an ambulance or operated commercially for the
purpose of transporting emergency medical supplies or organs;
3. Any vehicle qualifying as an emergency vehicle pursuant to Section
307.175, RSMo.;
4. Any wrecker, or tow truck or a vehicle owned and operated by a public
utility or public service corporation while performing emergency service;
5. Any vehicle transporting equipment designed to extricate human beings
from the wreckage of a motor vehicle;
6. Any vehicle designated to perform emergency functions for a civil
defense or emergency management agency established pursuant to the
provisions of Chapter 44, RSMo.;
7. Any vehicle operated by an authorized employee of the Department
of Corrections who, as part of the employee's official duties, is
responding to a riot, disturbance, hostage incident, escape or other
critical situation where there is the threat of serious physical injury
or death, responding to mutual aid call from another criminal justice
agency, or in accompanying an ambulance, which is transporting an
offender to a medical facility;
8. Any vehicle designated to perform hazardous substance emergency functions
established pursuant to the provisions of Sections 260.500 to 260.550,
RSMo.;
9. Any vehicle owned by the State Highways and Transportation Commission
and operated by an authorized employee of the Department of Transportation
that is marked as a Department of Transportation emergency response
or motorist assistance vehicle;
10. Any vehicle owned and operated by the civil support team of the Missouri
National Guard while in response to or during operations involving
chemical, biological, or radioactive materials or in support of official
requests from the State of Missouri involving unknown substances,
hazardous materials, or as may be requested by the appropriate State
agency acting on behalf of the Governor.
E. Regulations.
1. The driver of any vehicle referred to in Subsection
(D) of this Section 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. The driver of an emergency vehicle may:
a. Park or stand irrespective of the provisions of Section 304.014 to
304.025, RSMo., or any City parking ordinances;
b. Proceed past a red or stop signal or stop sign, but only after slowing
down as may be necessary for safe operation;
c. Exceed the prima facie speed limit so long as the driver does not
endanger life or property;
d. Disregard regulations governing direction of movement or turning
in specified directions.
3. The exemptions granted to an emergency vehicle pursuant to Subdivision
(2) of this Subsection 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 reasonable 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.
F. 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.
[Ord. No. 218 §2, 1-4-1988; RSMo. §300.110]
The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident 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 immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice
of such accident to the Police Department if such accident occurs
within the City.
[Ord. No. 218 §2, 1-4-1988; RSMo. §300.115]
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 Police Department.
The provisions of this Section shall not be applicable when the accident
has been investigated at the scene by a Police Officer while such
driver was present thereat.
[Ord. No. 218 §2, 1-4-1988; RSMo. §300.120]
A. Whenever the driver of a vehicle is physically incapable of giving immediate notice of an accident as required 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. Whenever the driver is physically incapable of making a written report of an accident as required 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.
[Ord. No. 218 §2, 1-4-1988; RSMo. §300.125]
A. All
written reports made by persons involved in accidents or by garages
shall be without prejudice to the individual so reporting and shall
be for the confidential use of the Police Department or other governmental
agencies having use for the records for accident prevention purposes,
except that the Police Department or other governmental agency may
disclose the identity of a person involved in an accident when such
identity is not otherwise known or when such person denies his presence
at such accident.
B. No
written reports forwarded under the provisions of this Section shall
be used as evidence in any trial, civil or criminal arising out of
an accident except that the Police Department shall furnish upon demand
of any party to such trial, or upon demand of any Court, a certificate
showing that a specified accident report has or has not been made
to the department in compliance with law, and if such report has been
made, the date, time and location of the accident, the names and addresses
of the drivers, the owners of the vehicles involved, and the investigating
Officers.