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
traffic laws of the City and all of the State vehicle laws applicable
to 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 an incident,
may direct or assist the Police in directing traffic thereat or in
the immediate vicinity.
No person shall knowingly fail or refuse to comply with any
lawful order or direction of a Police Officer or Fire Department official.
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.
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 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.
Responsibilities Of Driver Of Emergency Vehicle.
1.
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.
The driver of an emergency vehicle may:
a.
Park or stand irrespective of the provisions of Sections 304.014
to 304.025, RSMo., and the provisions of this Code;
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 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.
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.
A.
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.
B.
Use
Of Other Authorized Lights.
1.
Notwithstanding Subsection (A) of this Section, the following vehicles may use or display fixed, flashing, or rotating red or red and blue lights:
a.
Emergency vehicles, as defined in Section 304.022, RSMo., when responding
to an emergency.
c.
Vehicles and equipment owned or leased by a contractor or subcontractor
performing work for the Department of Transportation, except that
the red or red and blue lights shall be displayed on vehicles or equipment
described in this Subsection only between dusk and dawn, when such
vehicles or equipment are stationary, such vehicles or equipment are
located in a work zone as defined in Section 304.580, RSMo., highway
workers, as defined in Section 304.580, RSMo., are present, and such
work zone is designated by a sign or signs. No more than two (2) vehicles
or pieces of equipment in a work zone may display fixed, flashing
or rotating lights under this Subsection.
d.
Vehicles and equipment owned, leased, or operated by a Coroner, Medical
Examiner, or Forensic Investigator of the County Medical Examiner's
Office or a similar entity, when responding to a crime scene, motor
vehicle accident, workplace accident, or any location at which the
services of such professionals have been requested by a Law Enforcement
Officer.
2.
The following vehicles and equipment may use or display fixed, flashing,
or rotating amber or amber and white lights:
a.
Vehicles and equipment owned or leased by the State Highways and
Transportation Commission and operated by an authorized employee of
the Department of Transportation.
b.
Vehicles and equipment owned or leased by a contractor or subcontractor
performing work for the Department of Transportation, except that
the amber or amber and white lights shall be displayed on vehicles
described in this Subsection only when such vehicles or equipment
are located in a work zone, as defined in Section 304.580, RSMo.,
highway workers, as defined in Section 304.580, RSMo., are present,
and such work zone is designated by a sign or signs.
c.
Vehicles and equipment operated by a utility worker performing work
for the utility, except that the amber or amber and white lights shall
be displayed on vehicles described in this Subsection only when such
vehicles are stationary, such vehicles or equipment are located in
a work zone, as defined in Section 304.580, RSMo., a utility worker
is present, and such work zone is designated by a sign or signs. As
used in this Subsection, the term "utility worker" means any employee
while in performance of his or her job duties, including any person
employed under contract of a utility that provides gas, heat, electricity,
water, steam, telecommunications or cable services, or sewer services,
whether privately, municipally, or cooperatively owned.
C.
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
Chief of an organized Fire Department, organized Ambulance Association,
Rescue Squad, or the State Highways and Transportation Commission
and no person shall use or display a siren or blue lights on a motor
vehicle, fire, ambulance, or rescue equipment without a valid permit
authorizing the use. A 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 Police Department 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 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.
A.
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.
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.
A person
commits the offense of leaving the scene of an accident when:
1.
Being the operator of a vehicle or a vessel involved in an accident
resulting in injury or death or damage to property of another person;
and
2.
Having knowledge of such accident he or she leaves the place of the
injury, damage or accident without stopping and giving the following
information to the other party or to a Law Enforcement Officer, or
if no Law Enforcement Officer is in the vicinity, then to the nearest
law enforcement agency:
B.
For
the purposes of this Section, all Law Enforcement Officers shall have
jurisdiction, when invited by an injured person, to enter the premises
of any privately owned property for the purpose of investigating an
accident and performing all necessary duties regarding such accident.
C.
A Law
Enforcement Officer who investigates or receives information of an
accident involving an all-terrain vehicle and also involving the loss
of life or serious physical injury shall make a written report of
the investigation or information received and such additional facts
relating to the accident as may come to his or her knowledge, mail
the information to the Department of Public Safety, and keep a record
thereof in his or her office.
D.
The
provisions of this Section shall not apply to the operation of all-terrain
vehicles when property damage is sustained in sanctioned all-terrain
vehicle races, derbies and rallies.
[1]
Note: Under certain circumstances this offense can be a felony
under state law.
