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.
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/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/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/her knowledge, mail the information to the Department of Public
Safety, and keep a record thereof in his/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.
