City of Creve Coeur, MO Other Vehicle Equipment

Section 365.140 Other Equipment Of Motor Vehicles.

Signaling Devices. Every motor vehicle shall be equipped with a horn, directed forward, or whistle in good working order capable of emitting a sound adequate in quantity and volume to give warning of the approach of such vehicle to other users of the highway and to pedestrians. Such signaling device shall be used for warning purposes only and shall not be used for making any unnecessary noise, and no other sound-producing signaling device shall be used at any time.

Excessive Noise – Muffler Cutouts – Engine Brakes. Muffler cutouts shall not be used and no vehicle shall be driven in such manner or condition that excessive and unnecessary noises shall be made by its machinery, motor, signaling device, or other parts, or by any improperly loaded cargo. The motors of all motor vehicles shall be fitted with properly attached mufflers of such capacity or construction as to quiet the maximum possible exhaust noise as completely as is done in modern gas engine passenger motor vehicles. Any cutout or opening in the exhaust pipe between the motor and the muffler on any motor vehicle shall be completely closed and disconnected from its operating lever and shall be so arranged that it cannot automatically open, or be opened or operated, while such vehicle is in motion. No gasoline powered or diesel powered motor vehicle shall be operated on the streets, roads or highways within the City utilizing, in said operation, compression release engine brakes which permit excessive noise to be created by said motor vehicle except during emergency driving situations requiring the utilization of such brakes to protect the safety and property of any person including but not limited to motor vehicle operators, passengers, and pedestrians. Noise exceeding eighty (80) dB(A) shall be presumed to be excessive for purposes of this Section.

[Ord. No. 5766, 1-10-2022]

Brakes. All motor vehicles, except motorcycles, shall be provided at all times with two (2) sets of adequate brakes kept in good working order, and motorcycles shall be provided with one (1) set of adequate brakes kept in good working order.

Mirrors. All motor vehicles which are so constructed or loaded that the operator cannot see the road behind such vehicle by looking back or around the side of such vehicle shall be equipped with a mirror so adjusted as to reveal the road behind and be visible from the operator's seat.

Projections On Vehicles. All vehicles carrying poles or other objects, which project more than five (5) feet from the rear of such vehicle, shall, during the period when lights are required by this Chapter, carry a red light at or near the rear end of the pole or other object so projecting. At other times a red flag or cloth, not less than sixteen (16) inches square, shall be displayed at the end of such projection.

Towlines. When one vehicle is towing another, the connecting device shall not exceed fifteen (15) feet. During the time that lights are required by Sections 307.020 to 307.120, RSMo., the required lights shall be displayed by both vehicles. Every towed vehicle shall be coupled to the towing vehicle by means of a safety chain, cable or equivalent device in addition to the primary coupling device, except that such secondary coupling device shall not be necessary if the connecting device is connected to the towing vehicle by a center-locking ball located over or nearly over the rear axle and not supported by the rear bumper of the towing vehicle. Such secondary safety connecting devices shall be of sufficient strength to control the towed vehicle in the event of failure of the primary coupling device. The provisions of this Subsection shall not apply to wreckers towing vehicles or to vehicles secured to the towing vehicle by a fifth-wheel type connection. The provisions of this Subsection shall also not apply to farm implements or to any vehicle which is not required to be registered.

Commercial Motor Vehicles And Trailers. When being operated on any highway, street or road of this City, commercial motor vehicles and trailers shall be equipped with adequate and proper brakes, lighting equipment, signaling devices, steering mechanisms, horns, mirrors, windshield wipers, tires, wheels, exhaust system, glazing, air pollution control devices, fuel tank and any other safety equipment required by the State in such condition so as to obtain a certificate of inspection and approval as required by the provisions of Section 307.360, RSMo.

Devices attached to or towed by motor vehicles for the purpose of transporting hay shall have the protruding parts raised or retracted when not in use to a position which will not cause injury or damage to persons or property in the vicinity of such device when on the highways, streets or roads of this City.

Section 365.150 Loads Which Might Become Dislodged To Be Secured — Failure — Penalty.

All motor vehicles and every trailer and semi-trailer operating upon the public highways, streets or roads of this City and carrying goods or material or farm products which may reasonably be expected to become dislodged and fall from the vehicle, trailer or semi-trailer as a result of wind pressure or air pressure and/or by the movement of the vehicle, trailer or semi-trailer shall have a protective cover or be sufficiently secured so that no portion of such goods or material can become dislodged and fall from the vehicle, trailer or semi-trailer while being transported or carried.

Operation of a motor vehicle, trailer or semi-trailer in violation of this Section shall be an infraction, and any person convicted thereof shall be punished as provided by Section 100.090 of this Code.

Section 365.160 Dumping or Spilling Debris From Tires of Vehicles.

[R.O. 2008 §16-137; Ord. No. 513 §31, 12-23-1968]

No person shall drive and no person shall direct or permit any driver to drive any motor vehicle or other moving vehicle over, along or upon any street, thoroughfare, highway or road within the City when any wheel or tire thereof is covered with dirt, gravel, clay or other material or substance so that the same might be dropped, spilled, spread or thrown upon the roadway.

Section 365.170 Use of Safety Belts.

[R.O. 2008 §16-170; Ord. No. 1182 §1, 11-10-1986; Ord. No. 1499 §2, 3-9-1992; Ord. No. 5064 §2, 10-27-2008]

Each driver and front seat passengers of a passenger car manufactured after January 1, 1968, operated on a street or highway in this City, and persons less than eighteen (18) years of age operating or riding in a truck, as defined in Section 300.010, on a street or highway in this City shall wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt that meets Federal National Highway, Transportation and Safety Act requirements. Each driver of a passenger car manufactured after January 1, 1968, transporting a child eight (8) years of age or more but less than sixteen (16) years of age shall secure the child in a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to the transporting of children under eight (8) years of age. Each driver of a motor vehicle transporting a child less than eight (8) years of age shall provide for the protection of such child in accordance with the provisions of Section 365.180.

The provisions of this Section shall not be applicable to persons employed by the United States Postal Services while performing duties for that Federal agency which require the operator to service postal boxes from their vehicles, or whose duties require frequent entry into and exit from their vehicles. The provisions of this Section shall not be applicable to persons who have a medical reason for failing to have a seat belt fastened about his or her body.

Any person who violates this Section upon conviction may be punished by a fine of not more than ten dollars ($10.00).

As used in this Section, the term "passenger car" means every motor vehicle designed for carrying ten (10) persons or less and used for the transportation of persons, except that the term "passenger car" shall not include motorcycles, bicycles, electric bicycles, and trucks with a licensed gross weight of twelve thousand (12,000) pounds or more.

[Ord. No. 5762, 1-24-2022]

Section 365.180 Passenger Restraint System Required For Children Less Than Eight Years of Age.

[R.O. 2008 §16-169; Ord. No. 1181 §1, 11-10-1986; Ord. No. 1671 §1, 11-29-1994; Ord. No. 5042 §1, 5-27-2008; Ord. No. 5064 §1, 10-27-2008]

As used in this Section, the following terms shall have these prescribed meanings:

CHILD BOOSTER SEAT

A seating system which meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards set forth in 49 C.F.R. 571.213, as amended, that is designed to elevate a child to properly sit in a Federally approved safety belt system.

CHILD PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM

A seating system which meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards set forth in 49 C.F.R. 571.213, as amended, and which is either permanently affixed to a motor vehicle or is affixed to such vehicle by a safety belt or a universal attachment system.

DRIVER

A person who is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle.

Every person transporting a child under the age of eight (8) years shall be responsible, when transporting such child in a motor vehicle operated by that person on the streets or highways of the City, for providing for the protection of such child as follows:

Children less than four (4) years of age, regardless of weight, shall be secured in a child passenger restraint system that meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and is appropriate for that child.

Children weighing less than forty (40) pounds, regardless of age, shall be secured in a child passenger restraint system that meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and is appropriate for that child.

Children at least four (4) years old but less than eight (8) years of age, who also weigh at least forty (40) pounds but less than eighty (80) pounds, and who are less than four (4) feet, nine (9) inches tall, shall be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat that meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards appropriate for that child.

Children weighing at least eighty (80) pounds or children more than four (4) feet, nine (9) inches in height shall be secured by a vehicle safety belt or booster seat appropriate for that child.

A child who otherwise would be required to be secured in a booster seat may be transported in the back seat of a motor vehicle while wearing only a lap belt if the back seat of the motor vehicle is not equipped with a lap and shoulder belt for booster seat installation.

When children of the driver's immediate family are being transported and there are more children than there are seating positions in the enclosed area of the motor vehicle, the children who are not able to be restrained by a child safety restraint device appropriate for the child shall sit in the area behind the front seat of the motor vehicle unless the motor vehicle is designed only for a front seat area. The driver transporting the children under these circumstances shall not be in violation of the child restraint ordinance.

The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any public carrier for hire. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to students four (4) years of age and older who are passengers on a school bus designed for carrying eleven (11) passengers or more and which is manufactured or equipped pursuant to Missouri Minimum Standards for School Buses as school buses are defined in Section 301.010, RSMo.

The provisions of this Section shall not be applicable to any child who has a medical reason for failing to be secured by a passenger restraint system, booster seat or vehicle safety belt.

Any driver who violates Subdivision (1), (2) or (3) of Subsection (B) of this Section is guilty of an infraction and, upon conviction, may be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars ($50.00) and court costs. Any driver who violates Subdivision (4) of Subsection (B) of this Section shall be subject to the penalty in Subsection (5) of Section 307.178, RSMo. If a driver receives a citation for violating Subdivision (1), (2) or (3) of Subsection (B) of this Section, the charges shall be dismissed or withdrawn if the driver prior to or at his or her hearing provides evidence of acquisition of a child passenger restraint system or child booster seat which is satisfactory to the court or the party responsible for prosecuting the driver's citation.

Section 365.190 Vision-Reducing Material Applied To Windshield or Windows Without Permit Prohibited — Penalty — Rules — Procedure.

Any person may operate a motor vehicle with front sidewing vents or windows located immediately to the left and right of the driver that have a sun-screening device, in conjunction with safety glazing material, that has a light transmission of thirty-five percent (35%) or more plus or minus three percent (±3%) and a luminous reflectance of thirty-five percent (35%) or less plus or minus three percent (±3%). Except as provided in Subsection (C) of this Section, any sun-screening device applied to front sidewing vents or windows located immediately to the left and right of the driver in excess of the requirements of this Section shall be prohibited without a permit pursuant to a physician's prescription as described below. A permit to operate a motor vehicle with front sidewing vents or windows located immediately to the left and right of the driver that have a sun-screening device, in conjunction with safety glazing material, which permits less light transmission and luminous reflectance than allowed under the requirements of this Subsection may be issued by the Department of Public Safety to a person having a serious medical condition which requires the use of a sun-screening device if the permittee's physician prescribes its use. The Director of the Department of Public Safety shall promulgate rules and regulations for the issuance of the permit. The permit shall allow operation of the vehicle by any title holder or relative within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, which shall mean a spouse, each grandparent, parent, brother, sister, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, child and grandchild of a person who resides in the household. Except as provided in Subsection (B) of this Section, all sun-screening devices applied to the windshield of a motor vehicle are prohibited.

This Section shall not prohibit labels, stickers, decalcomania or informational signs on motor vehicles or the application of tinted or solar-screening material to recreational vehicles as defined in Section 700.010, RSMo., provided that such material does not interfere with the driver's normal view of the road. This Section shall not prohibit factory-installed tinted glass, the equivalent replacement thereof or tinting material applied to the upper portion of the motor vehicle's windshield which is normally tinted by the manufacturer of motor vehicle safety glass.

Any vehicle licensed with a historical license plate shall be exempt from the requirements of this Section.

Any person who violates the provisions of this Section is guilty of an infraction.

Section 365.200 Studded Tires — Prohibited When.

No person shall operate any motor vehicle upon any road or highway of this City between the first (1st) day of April and the first (1st) day of November while the motor vehicle is equipped with tires containing metal or carbide studs.

Section 365.210 Restriction On Use of Metal-Tired Vehicles.

No metal-tired vehicle shall be operated over any of the improved highways of this City, except over highways constructed of gravel or claybound gravel, if such vehicle has on the periphery of any of the road wheels any lug, flange, cleat, ridge, bolt or any projection of metal or wood which projects radially beyond the tread or traffic surface of the tire unless the highway is protected by putting down solid planks or other suitable material or by attachments to the wheels so as to prevent such vehicles from damaging the highway, except that this prohibition shall not apply to tractors or traction engines equipped with what is known as caterpillar treads when such caterpillar does not contain any projection of any kind likely to injure the surface of the road. Tractors, traction engines and similar vehicles may be operated which have upon their road wheels "V" shaped, diagonal or other cleats arranged in such manner as to be continuously in contact with the road surface if the gross weight on the wheels per inch of width of such cleats or road surface, when measured in the direction of the axle of the vehicle, does not exceed eight hundred (800) pounds.

No tractor, tractor engine or other metal-tired vehicle weighing more than four (4) tons, including the weight of the vehicle and its load, shall drive onto, upon or over the edge of any improved highway without protecting such edge by putting down solid planks or other suitable material to prevent such vehicle from breaking off the edges of the pavement.

Any person violating this Section, whether operating pursuant to a permit or not, or who shall willfully or negligently damage a highway, shall be liable for the amount of such damage caused to any highway, bridge, culvert or sewer, and any vehicle causing such damage shall be subject to a lien for the full amount of such damage, which lien shall not be superior to any duly recorded or filed chattel mortgage or other lien previously attached to such vehicle; the amount of such damage may be recovered in any action in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Section 365.220 Passengers in Trucks.

As used in this Section, the term "truck" means a motor vehicle designed, used or maintained for the transportation of property.

No person shall operate any truck, as defined in Subsection (A) of this Section, with a licensed gross weight of less than twelve thousand (12,000) pounds on any highway which is part of the State or Federal highway system or when such truck is operated within the corporate limits of the City when any person under eighteen (18) years of age is riding in the unenclosed bed of such truck. No person under eighteen (18) years of age shall ride in the unenclosed bed of such truck when the truck is in operation.

The provisions of this Section shall not apply to:

Any employee engaged in the necessary discharge of the employee's duties where it is necessary to ride in the unenclosed bed of the truck;

Any person while engaged in agricultural activities where it is necessary to ride in the unenclosed bed of the truck;

Any person riding in the unenclosed bed of a truck while such truck is being operated in a parade, caravan or exhibition which is authorized by law;

Any person riding in the unenclosed bed of a truck if such truck has installed a means of preventing such person from being discharged or such person is secured to the truck in a manner which will prevent the person from being thrown, falling or jumping from the truck;

Any person riding in the unenclosed bed of a truck if such truck is being operated solely for the purpose of participating in a special event and it is necessary that the person ride in such unenclosed bed due to a lack of available seating. "Special event", for the purposes of this Section, is a specific social activity of a definable duration which is participated in by the person riding in the unenclosed bed;

Any person riding in the unenclosed bed of a truck if such truck is being operated solely for the purposes of providing assistance to, or ensuring the safety of, other persons engaged in a recreational activity; or

Any person riding in the unenclosed bed of a truck if such truck is the only legally titled, licensed and insured vehicle owned by the family of the person riding in the unenclosed bed and there is insufficient room in the passenger cab of the truck to accommodate all passengers in the truck. For the purposes of this Section, the term "family" shall mean any persons related within the first degree of consanguinity.

Section 365.230 Altering Passenger Motor Vehicle By Raising Front or Rear of Vehicle Prohibited, When — Bumpers Front and Rear Required, When Certain Vehicles Exempt.

No person shall operate any passenger motor vehicle upon the public streets or highways of this City, the body of which has been altered in such a manner that the front or rear of the vehicle is raised at such an angle as to obstruct the vision of the operator of the street or highway in front or to the rear of the vehicle.

Every motor vehicle which is licensed in this State and operated upon the public streets or highways of this City shall be equipped with front and rear bumpers if such vehicle was equipped with bumpers as standard equipment. This Subsection shall not apply to motor vehicles designed or modified primarily for off-highway purposes, while such vehicles are in tow, or to motorcycles or motor-driven cycles, or to motor vehicles registered as historic motor vehicles when the original design of such vehicles did not include bumpers nor shall the provisions of this Subsection prohibit the use of drop bumpers. Maximum bumper heights of both the front and rear bumpers of motor vehicles shall be determined by weight category of gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) measured from a level surface to the highest point of the bottom of the bumper when the vehicle is unloaded and the tires are inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pressure. Maximum bumper heights are as follows:

	Maximum front bumper height	Maximum rear bumper height
Motor vehicles except commercial motor vehicles	22 inches	22 inches
Commercial motor vehicles (GVWR) 4,500 lbs. and under	24 inches	26 inches
4,501 lbs. through 7,500 lbs.	27 inches	29 inches
7,501 lbs. through 9,000 lbs.	28 inches	30 inches
9,001 lbs. through 11,500 lbs.	29 inches	31 inches

Any person knowingly violating the provisions of this Section is guilty of an infraction.

Section 365.240 Trucks or Truck-Tractor-Trailers — Fenders or Mudflaps Required. [1]

[R.O. 2008 §16-168; Ord. No. 977 §1(14.14), 1-5-1981; Ord. No. 5729, 1-25-2021]

It shall be unlawful for any person to operate in this City a truck, semitrailer or trailer other than utility trailer, attached to a commercial motor vehicle registered for over twenty-four thousand (24,000) pounds, without rear fenders, which is not equipped with mudflaps for the rear wheels. If mudflaps are used, they shall be wide enough to cover the full tread width of the tires being protected; shall be so installed that they extend from the underside of the vehicle body in a vertical plane behind the rear wheels to within twelve (12) inches of the ground for dump trucks or within eight (8) inches of the ground for all other vehicles subject hereto; and shall be constructed of a rigid material or a flexible material which is of a sufficiently rigid character to provide adequate protection when the vehicle is in motion. No provision of this Section shall apply to a motor vehicle in transit and in the process of delivery equipped with temporary mudflaps, to farm implements, or to any vehicle which is not required to be registered. For purposes of this Section, "dump truck" means a truck whose contents can be emptied without handling, where the front end of the platform can be hydraulically raised so that the load is discharged by gravity.

[1]

State Law Reference — Similar provisions, §307.015, RSMo.