[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
It shall be the duty of the officers of the Police Department
or any officers that are assigned by the Chief of Police to enforce
all street traffic laws of this City and all the State vehicle laws
applicable to street traffic in this City. Officers of the Department
shall make arrests for traffic violations, investigate accidents,
and cooperate with other officers in the administration of the traffic
laws and in developing ways and means to improve traffic conditions,
and to carry out those duties specially imposed upon the Department
by this Part and any other traffic ordinances of this City.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
Officers of the Police Department or any officers designated by the
Chief of Police are hereby authorized to direct traffic by voice,
hand, or signal in conformance with traffic laws. 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.
B.
Officers of the Fire Department, when at the scene of a fire, or
other emergency, may direct or assist the police in directing traffic
in the immediate vicinity.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
No unauthorized person shall direct or attempt to direct traffic,
except in case of emergency where no officer is present.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
No person shall wilfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful
order or direction of a police officer or Fire Department official.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
The City Council, by motion or resolution, is empowered to adopt
regulations necessary to make effective the provisions of the traffic
ordinances of this City and to make temporary or experimental regulations
to cover emergencies or special conditions. No such temporary or experimental
regulation shall remain in effect for more than 90 days.
B.
The City Council may have traffic-control devices tested under actual
conditions of traffic.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
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 Part applicable to the driver
of any vehicle, except those provisions of this Part which by their
very nature can have no application.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
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 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 ordinances of this City.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
The provisions of this Part shall apply to the driver of any
vehicle owned by or used in the service of the United States Government,
any State, County, City, or governmental unit or agency, as well as
to other vehicles. It is unlawful for any such driver to violate any
of the provisions of this Part, except as otherwise permitted in this
Part by State statute. This Part shall not apply to the military forces
of the United States and organizations of the National Guard when
performing any military duty.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
Unless specifically made applicable, the provisions of this
Part, except those relating to reckless driving and driving while
intoxicated, shall not apply to persons, teams, motor vehicles, and
other equipment while actually engaged in work upon the surface of
a street, or to persons, motor vehicles, and other equipment while
actually engaged in construction, maintenance, or repair of public
utilities. All street or highway and public utility operations shall
be protected by adequate warning signs, signals, devices, or flagpersons.
The provisions of this Part shall apply to any of the persons and
vehicles exempted by this Section when traveling to and from such
work.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
City personnel or contractors, while repairing or improving the streets
of the City, and City personnel and utility companies, when installing,
improving, or repairing lines or other utility facilities in the streets,
are hereby authorized as necessary, subject to control by the City
Clerk, to close any street or section thereof to traffic during such
repair, maintenance, or construction. In exercising this authority,
the appropriate personnel, contractor or utility company shall erect
or cause to be erected proper control devices and barricades to warn
and notify the public that the street has been closed to traffic.
B.
When any street has been closed to traffic under the provisions of Subsection A of this Section and traffic-control devices or barricades have been erected, it is unlawful for any person to drive any vehicle through, under, over, or around such traffic-control devices or barricades, or otherwise to enter the closed area. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to persons entering the closed area or zone for the protection of lives or property. Persons having their places of residence or places of business within the closed area may travel, when possible to do so, through the area at their own risk.
C.
Whenever construction, repair, or maintenance of any street or utility
line or facility is being performed under traffic, the City personnel,
contractor, or utility company concerned shall erect, or cause to
be erected, traffic-control devices to warn and guide the public.
Every person using the street shall obey all signs, signals, markings,
flagpersons, or other traffic-control devices which are placed to
regulate, control, and guide traffic through the construction or maintenance
area.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle, when responding to
an emergency call or when in the pursuit of an actual or suspected
violator of the law or ordinance or when responding to but not upon
returning from a fire alarm, may exercise the privileges set forth
in this Section, but subject to the conditions stated in this Section.
B.
The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle may do any of the following
when in pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law or ordinance
or when responding to but not upon returning from a fire alarm:
1.
Park or stand, irrespective of the provisions of this Part;
2.
Proceed past a red or stop signal or stop sign, but only after slowing
down as may be necessary for safe operation;
3.
Exceed the maximum speed limits so long as life or property is not
endangered; or
4.
Disregard regulations governing direction of movement or turning
in specific directions.
C.
The exemptions granted in this Section to an authorized emergency
vehicle shall apply only when the driver of any such vehicle is making
use of audible and visual signals as required by law, except that
an authorized emergency vehicle operated as a police vehicle need
not be equipped with or display a red light visible from in front
of the vehicle.
D.
The provisions of this Section shall not relieve the driver of an
authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard
for the safety of all persons, nor shall such provisions protect the
driver from the consequences of his reckless disregard for the safety
of others.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle making
use of audible and visual signals meeting the requirements of the
laws of this State, or of a police vehicle properly and lawfully making
use of an audible signal only, the driver of every other vehicle shall
yield the right of way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel
to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand edge or curb of the
roadway clear of any intersection, and shall stop and remain in such
position until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed, except
when otherwise directed by a police officer.
B.
This Section shall not operate to relieve the driver of an authorized
emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety
of all persons using the highway.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury
to or death of any person or property damage to an apparent extent
of $300 or more, shall:
1.
As soon as practicable, report the accident to the Police Department;
or
2.
Within five days after the accident, forward a written report of
the accident to the Police Department or a copy of the report required
by the State. This report shall not be required if the accident is
investigated at the scene by a police officer while the driver was
present.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
All written accident reports made by drivers, owners or occupants
of vehicles involved in accidents 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 of the
records for accident prevention purposes.
B.
The Police Department may disclose the identity of a person involved
in an accident when the identity is not otherwise known or when a
person denies his presence at the accident.
C.
No report 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 person who has, or claims to have, made
a report or upon demand of any court, a certificate showing that a
specified accident report has or has not been made to the Police Department
solely to prove a compliance or a failure to comply with the requirements
that such a report be made to the Department.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in damage
to a vehicle which is driven or attended by any person shall immediately
stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident or as close thereto
as possible and forthwith return to and in every event shall remain
and shall give his correct name, address, and registration number
of the vehicle he is driving. Upon request and if available he shall
exhibit his operator's or chauffeur's license to the driver
or person attending any vehicle collided with, and if requested shall
render reasonable assistance to any injured person.
B.
The driver of any vehicle which collides with any vehicle which is
unattended shall immediately stop and shall then and there either
locate and notify the operator or owner of the vehicle of the correct
name and address of the driver and owner of the vehicle striking the
unattended vehicle or shall leave in a conspicuous place in the vehicle
struck a written notice giving the name and address of the driver
and of the owner of the vehicle doing the striking and a statement
of the circumstances.
C.
The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in damage
to fixtures or other property legally upon or adjacent to a street
shall stop and take reasonable steps to locate and notify the owner
or person in charge of the property of such fact and of his name and
address and the registration number of the vehicle he is driving.
Upon request and if available he shall exhibit his operator's
or chauffeur's license.
D.
The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in any
injury to a pedestrian or person shall stop and give his correct name,
address, and registration number of the vehicle he is driving. Upon
request and if available he shall exhibit his operator's or chauffeur's
license to the pedestrian or person injured or to any witness or police
officer at the scene of the accident, and if requested shall render
reasonable assistance to any injured persons.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
The Chief of Police is hereby authorized and directed to supply police
officers with citation tags in sets, each set consisting of an original
and at least two duplicate copies, for the purpose of giving notice
to persons violating any provision of this Part.
B.
Notice may be given by delivering the tags to the violator or by
affixing it to the vehicle involved in the violation.
C.
Each citation tag shall direct the violator to appear and to present
such tag at a designated place on or before a date and hour specified
thereon.
D.
Nothing in this Section shall be construed to abridge the power of
a police officer to arrest any violator and take him into custody.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
It is unlawful and an offense for any person to violate his
written promise to appear, given to an officer upon the issuance of
a traffic citation regardless of the disposition of the charge for
which citation was originally issued.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
If a violator of the restrictions on stopping, standing, or
parking under the traffic laws or ordinances does not appear in response
to a traffic citation affixed to such motor vehicle within a period
of five days, the Clerk of the Municipal Court may sent to the owner
of the motor vehicle to which the traffic citation was affixed a letter
informing him of the violation and warning him that in the event such
letter is disregarded for a period of five days, a warrant of arrest
may be issued. On any occasion where two or more such traffic citations
have been affixed on the same motor vehicle and the traffic citations
have been disregarded, a warrant of arrest may be issued without sending
the letter provided in this Section.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
In any prosecution charging a violation of any law or regulation
governing the standing or parking of a vehicle, proof that the particular
vehicle described in the complaint was parked in violation of any
law or regulation, together with proof that the defendant named in
the complaint was at the time of the parking the registered owner
of the vehicle, shall constitute in evidence a prima facie presumption
that the registered owner of the vehicle was the person who parked
or placed the vehicle at the point where, and for the time during
which, the violation occurred.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
It is unlawful for any person to cancel or solicit the cancellation
of any traffic citation in any manner other than is provided by this
chapter.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
Every police officer upon issuing a traffic citation to an alleged
violator of any provision of the motor vehicle laws of this State
or any traffic law of this City shall deposit the original and a duplicate
copy of the citation with his immediate superior officer, who shall
cause the original to be delivered to the Municipal Court.
B.
Upon the filing of the original citation in the Municipal Court,
the citation may be disposed of only by trial in the Court or by other
official action by a judge of the Court, including forfeiture of bail
or by payment of a fine.
C.
The Chief of Police shall maintain a record of all warrants issued
by the Municipal Court which are delivered to the Police Department
for service, and of the final disposition of the warrants.
D.
No member of the Police Department or other officer or public employee
shall dispose of, alter, or deface a traffic citation or any copy
thereof, or the record of the issuance or disposition of any traffic
citation, complaint, or warrant, in a manner other than as required
in this chapter.
[Prior Code, Chapter 20]
A.
The Municipal Judge shall keep a record of every traffic citation
deposited with or presented to the Court and shall keep a record of
every official action by the Court or its Traffic. Violations Bureau
in reference thereto, including, but not limited to, a record of every
conviction, forfeiture of bail, judgment of acquittal, and the amount
of fine or forfeiture.
B.
Within 10 days after the conviction or forfeiture of bail of a person
upon a charge of violating any provision of this chapter or other
law regulating the operation of vehicles on highways the Municipal
Judge or Clerk of the court in which the conviction was had or bail
was forfeited shall prepare and immediately forward to the State Department
of Public Safety a certified abstract of the court's record of
the case. An abstract need not be made of any conviction involving
the illegal parking or standing of a vehicle.
C.
The abstract must be made upon a form furnished by the State Department
of Public Safety and shall include the name and address of the party
charged, the number of his operator's or chauffeur's license,
the registration number of the vehicle involved, the nature of the
offense, the date of hearing, the plea, the judgment, whether bail
was forfeited, and the amount of the fine or forfeiture.
