City of Gallatin, MO Other Vehicle Equipment

Section 370.140 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.

Muffler Cutouts. 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.

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

All motor vehicles and every trailer and semitrailer 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 semitrailer as a result of wind pressure or air pressure and/or by the movement of the vehicle, trailer or semitrailer 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 semitrailer while being transported or carried.

Operation of a motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer in violation of this Section shall be an ordinance violation, and any person convicted thereof shall be punished as provided by law.

Section 370.160 Seat Belts.

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

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

Each driver, except persons employed by the United States Postal Service while performing duties for that Federal agency which require the operator to service postal boxes from their vehicles or which require frequent entry into and exit from their vehicles, and front seat passengers of a passenger car manufactured after January 1, 1968, operated on a street or highway in the City, and persons less than eighteen (18) years of age operating or riding in a truck, as defined in Subsection (A) of this Section, on a street or highway of this City shall wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt that meets Federal National Highway, Transportation and Safety Act requirements. No person shall be stopped, inspected or detained solely to determine compliance with this Subsection. The provisions of this Section and Section 370.170 of this Chapter shall not be applicable to persons who have a medical reason for failing to have a seat belt fastened about their body, nor shall the provisions of this Section be applicable to persons while operating or riding a motor vehicle being used in agricultural work-related activities. Non-compliance with this Subsection shall not constitute probable cause for violation of any other provision of law. The provisions of this Subsection shall not apply to the transporting of children under sixteen (16) years of age, as provided in Section 370.170 of this Chapter.

Each driver of a motor vehicle transporting a child less than sixteen (16) years of age shall secure the child in a properly adjusted and fastened restraint under Section 370.170 of this Chapter.

Except as otherwise provided for in Section 370.170 of this Chapter, each person found guilty of violating the provisions of Subsection (B) of this Section is guilty of an ordinance violation for which a fine not to exceed ten dollars ($10.00) may be imposed. All other provisions of law and court rules to the contrary notwithstanding, no court costs shall be imposed on any person due to a violation of this Section.

If there are more persons than there are seat belts in the enclosed area of a motor vehicle, then the passengers who are unable to wear seat belts shall sit in the area behind the front seat of the motor vehicle unless the motor vehicle is designed only for a front-seated area. The passenger or passengers occupying a seat location referred to in this Subsection is not in violation of this Section. This Subsection shall not apply to passengers who are accompanying a driver of a motor vehicle who is licensed under Section 302.178, RSMo.

Section 370.170 Transporting Children Under Sixteen Years Of Age — Restraint Systems.

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 CFR 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 CFR 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.

Requirement; Applicability.

Every driver transporting a child under the age of sixteen (16) years shall be responsible, when transporting such child in a motor vehicle operated by that driver on the streets or highways of this 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 appropriate for that child.

Children weighing less than forty (40) pounds, regardless of age, shall be secured in a child passenger restraint system appropriate for that child.

Children at least four (4) years of age 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 also less than four (4) feet nine (9) inches tall, shall be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat appropriate for that child.

Children 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 combination lap and shoulder belt for booster seat installation.

When transporting children in the immediate family when there are more children than there are seating positions in the enclosed area of a 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 children referred to in this Subsection is not in violation of this Section.

This Subsection shall only apply to the use of a child passenger restraint system or vehicle safety belt for children less than sixteen (16) years of age being transported in a motor vehicle.

Any driver who violates Subsection (B)(1)(a), (b) or (c) herein, is guilty of an ordinance violation and upon conviction may be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars ($50.00) and court costs. Any driver who violates Subsection (B)(1)(d) herein shall be subject to the penalty in Subsection (E) of Section 370.160 of this Chapter. If a driver receives a citation for violating Subsection (B)(1)(a), (b) or (c) herein, the charges shall be dismissed or withdrawn if the driver prior to or at his/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.

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 or 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.

Section 370.180 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 titleholder 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 ordinance violation.

Section 370.190 (Reserved) [1]

[1]

Editor's Note: This Section previously pertained to the use of headgear while operating or riding as a passenger on a motorcycle or motortricycle. However, the authorizing Statute, § 302.020, RSMo., was revised by HB1963 in the 2020 Legislative Session to preempt any political subdivision from imposing protective headgear requirements on the operator or passenger of a motorcycle or motortricycle.

Section 370.200 Studded Tires — Prohibited When.

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

Section 370.210 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 370.220 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 370.230 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:

Type of Vehicle		Maximum Front Bumper Height (inches)	Maximum Rear Bumper Height (inches)
Motor vehicles except commercial motor vehicles		22	22
Commercial motor vehicles (GVWR):
	4,500 lbs. and under	24	26
	4,501 lbs. through 7,500 lbs.	27	29
	7,501 lbs. through 9,000 lbs.	28	30
	9,001 lbs. through 11,500 lbs.	29	31

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