Missouri driving law, answered
Every answer here comes from Missouri Driver Guide and, where the manual is silent, the Revised Statutes of Missouri: Chapter 304: Traffic Regulations (except size, weight and haul permits, towing companies and funds), Chapter 307: Vehicle Equipment Regulations (except approvals, the compact and inspection stations), Chapter 302: Drivers' Licenses (except commercial licensing, school bus permits and the department's records), Chapter 577 (§§ 577.001–577.060, 577.080, 577.300, 577.599–577.612): Public Safety Offenses -- driving, Chapter 303: Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility (except the verification database), Chapter 301: Registration and Licensing of Motor Vehicles (except special plates, dealers, liens and commercial registration), Chapter 311 (§ 311.325): Liquor Control -- purchase or possession by a minor, with the page or the section it is in.
Statutes fetched on 8 October 2026; manuals fetched on 14 September 2026. How the answers are made
How close to the curb must you park?
When parking during the driving test you are tested on parking no more than 18 inches from the curb. Any further out and the car is in the traffic lane. Eighteen inches is where parked stops meaning parked.
Parking no more than 18” from the curb.
As of 14 Sep 2026
When must you stop for a school bus with flashing red lights?
When the school bus is stopped, its alternately flashing red lights and its stop signal arm are activated, and oncoming and following traffic must stop before reaching the bus. Red lights and the arm mean children are about to be in the road. Both directions stop, not just the one behind the bus.
Oncoming and following traffic must stop before they reach the bus when these signals are activated.
As of 14 Sep 2026
What must you do when passing a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights?
Approaching a stationary emergency vehicle showing red or red and blue lights, you must change into a lane not next to it if the road has at least four lanes with two or more running your way and it is safe to do so. The worker beside that vehicle is standing in traffic. An empty lane between you and them is what keeps them alive.
make a lane change into a lane not adjacent to the stationary vehicle (if on a roadway having at least four lanes with not less than two lanes proceeding in the same direction as the approaching vehicle)
As of 14 Sep 2026
When must you turn on your headlights?
Turn your headlights on from half an hour after sunset until half an hour before sunrise. Half an hour either side of the sun is when the light fails but the sky still looks bright enough to a driver.
Turn your headlights on from ½ hour after sunset until ½ hour before sunrise.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How far from an oncoming vehicle must you dim your high beams?
Use your low beams when you come within 500 feet, about one block, of an oncoming vehicle. High beams blind the driver coming toward you at exactly the moment you are closest.
Use your low beams when you come within 500 feet (about one block) of an oncoming vehicle.
As of 14 Sep 2026
Who must wear a seat belt?
Missouri law requires the operator and the front seat occupants of all passenger vehicles to wear a properly adjusted and fastened seat belt. The ordinary law reaches the front seats. Everything about where you sit changes what the law asks of you.
Missouri law requires the operator and front seat occupants of all passenger vehicles to wear a properly adjusted and fastened seat belt.
As of 14 Sep 2026
When must a child ride in a car seat?
A child less than four years old must be secured in a child passenger restraint system, regardless of weight. Under four, weight does not enter into it. The seat is required whatever the child weighs.
Children less than four years old, regardless of weight, shall be secured in a child passenger restraint system appropriate for that child.
As of 14 Sep 2026
What is the legal blood alcohol limit for adult drivers?
It is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or more. Point zero eight is the line for an adult driver. Below it you can still be charged; above it the number alone is the offense.
It is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08% or more
As of 14 Sep 2026
What is the blood alcohol limit for drivers under 21?
The blood alcohol limit for a driver under 21 is 0.02%. Under twenty-one the limit is barely above zero, because for that age the state's answer is simply not to drink and drive.
0.04% for commercial vehicle drivers and 0.02% if under 21
As of 14 Sep 2026
What happens if you refuse a breath or blood alcohol test?
If you refuse a chemical test to determine your BAC, your driver license will be taken away for one year. Refusing does not avoid the consequence. It substitutes a fixed one that is longer than a first offense suspension.
If a police officer stops you and you refuse to take a chemical test to determine your BAC, your driver license will be taken away for one year.
As of 14 Sep 2026
May you use a handheld phone while driving?
While the vehicle is in motion, a driver may not physically hold or support a cellphone with any part of their body. Wedging it against your shoulder counts. The rule is about holding it at all, not about which hand.
drivers are prohibited from: • Physically holding or supporting a cellphone with any part of their body.
As of 14 Sep 2026
May you text while driving?
It is against the law for any person to read, write, or send a text message or electronic message while operating a vehicle. Three verbs, and the law names all three so none of them can be argued as something else.
It is against the law for any person to read, write, or send a text message or electronic message while operating a vehicle.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How far before a turn must you signal?
You should signal at least 100 feet before you turn so other drivers can be ready. A signal given as you turn tells nobody anything. A hundred feet is what makes it a warning instead of an announcement.
You should signal at least 100 feet before you turn so the other drivers can be ready.
As of 14 Sep 2026
May you turn right on a red light?
After a complete stop you may turn right on a red light if the way is clear of pedestrians and traffic, unless a No Right Turn On Red sign is posted. The stop is not optional and neither is the look. The turn is what is permitted, not the rolling.
After making a complete stop, you may turn right on a red light if the way is clear of pedestrians and traffic.
As of 14 Sep 2026
Where are U-turns not allowed?
Never make a U-turn where a No U-Turn sign is posted, or at an intersection controlled by a traffic signal or a police officer. A signal or an officer is already sorting the traffic. A U-turn is a movement neither of them has planned for.
Never make a U-turn at a location that is marked with a “No U-Turn” sign or at an intersection controlled by a traffic signal or police officer.
As of 14 Sep 2026
What is the speed limit on a residential street when no sign is posted?
The speed limit in any Missouri city, town, or village is 25 mph unless a sign posts something else. No sign does not mean no limit. In a town the default is already low.
The speed limit in any city, town, or village is 25 mph, unless posted otherwise.
As of 14 Sep 2026
What is the speed limit on a highway outside town when no sign is posted?
(4) All other roads and highways in this state not located in an urbanized area and not provided for in subdivisions (1) to (3) of this subsection, sixty miles per hour;
Missouri law, Mo. Rev. Stat. § 304.010(2)(4)
As of 8 Oct 2026
When may you pass another vehicle on the right?
You may pass on the right when the vehicle you are overtaking is making or about to make a left turn. A car waiting to turn left has stopped in the middle of the road. Passing it on the right is the only way past.
only under the following conditions: • When the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn;
As of 14 Sep 2026
How long must you hold a learner's permit before a license?
You must hold an instruction permit for at least six months, counted as 182 days from the day after it is issued, before graduating to an intermediate license. Six months of supervised driving is the point of the permit. The state counts it in days so there is nothing to argue about.
You must have an instruction permit for a minimum of six months (182 days) beginning the day after issuance.
As of 14 Sep 2026
Who must ride with you when you drive on a learner's permit?
At 16 or older a permit holder may drive when accompanied in the front seat by a person at least 21 years old who holds a valid driver license. At sixteen the list opens up. The supervisor still has to be in the front seat, where they can reach the wheel.
At age 16 or older, you may drive when accompanied in the front seat by a person who is at least 21 years old and has a valid driver license.
As of 14 Sep 2026
What hours may a provisional driver not drive?
An intermediate license holder may not drive alone between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., except to or from a school activity, a job, or an emergency, or when a licensed driver 21 or older is along. Those four hours are the worst on the road for a new driver. The exceptions cover the reasons a teenager genuinely has to be out.
You may not drive alone between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. except to and from a school activity, job, or an emergency, unless accompanied by a licensed driver 21 years of age or older.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How many passengers may a new provisional driver carry?
For the first six months of an intermediate license you may not carry more than one passenger under 19 who is not immediate family. One friend in the car is a conversation. Three is a room. The limit loosens once you have half a year of driving behind you.
During the first six months, you may not operate a motor vehicle with more than one passenger who is under the age of 19 and who is not a member of your immediate family*.
As of 14 Sep 2026
What is the penalty for littering from a vehicle?
A judge who finds you guilty of littering may impose a fine of up to $1,000 and up to one year in jail. A thousand dollars and a year is not a token penalty. Missouri treats throwing rubbish from a car seriously.
you may have to pay up to a $1,000 fine and/or spend up to one year in jail
As of 14 Sep 2026
What is the fine for a first drunk-driving conviction?
A first DWI or BAC conviction can mean up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $500. Six months and five hundred dollars is the floor of the court's range, not the ceiling.
1st Offense - Spend up to six months in jail. Pay up to a $500 fine.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How long can you be jailed for a first drunk-driving conviction?
A first DWI or BAC conviction can mean up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $500. Six months and five hundred dollars is the floor of the court's range, not the ceiling.
1st Offense - Spend up to six months in jail. Pay up to a $500 fine.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How long is your license suspended for a first drunk-driving conviction?
A first DWI or BAC conviction brings a 90 day suspension, and you may be eligible for a 90-day or 60-day Restricted Driving Privilege. Ninety days is the first bite. The restricted privilege is what lets some people keep getting to work.
1st Offense 90 day suspension
As of 14 Sep 2026
When must you install an ignition interlock after a drunk-driving conviction?
An ignition interlock device must be kept for at least six months from the date of reinstatement where a driver has more than one intoxication-related contact, a BAC of .15% or higher, or caused property damage or bodily harm. Three triggers, any one of which adds the device. The .15 figure is nearly twice the ordinary limit.
had an alcohol conviction with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .15% or higher or caused property damage or bodily harm
As of 14 Sep 2026
At what blood alcohol level do drunk-driving penalties increase?
5. If a person is not granted a suspended imposition of sentence for the reasons described in subsection 4 of this section: (1) If the individual operated the vehicle with fifteen-hundredths to twenty-hundredths of one percent by weight of alcohol in such person's blood, the required term of imprisonment shall be not less than forty-eight hours; (2) If the individual operated the vehicle with greater than twenty-hundredths of one percent by weight of alcohol in such person's blood, the required term of imprisonment shall be not less than five days.
Missouri law, Mo. Rev. Stat. § 577.012(5)
As of 8 Oct 2026
How many points on your license lead to a suspension?
If you accumulate 8 or more points in 18 months, your driving privilege will be suspended. Eight in eighteen months is reachable with two ordinary convictions. That is how close it is.
If you accumulate a total of 8 or more points in 18 months, your driving privilege will be suspended.
As of 14 Sep 2026
What is the fine for texting while driving?
(2) For a conviction under this section where there is no prior conviction under this section within the preceding twenty-four months, the court shall impose a fine of up to one hundred fifty dollars.
Missouri law, Mo. Rev. Stat. § 304.822(6)(2)
As of 8 Oct 2026
Who must wear a protective helmet while operating or riding a motorcycle?
2. Every person under twenty-six years of age who is operating or riding as a passenger on any motorcycle or motortricycle, as defined in section 301.010, upon any highway of this state shall wear protective headgear at all times the vehicle is in motion; except that, any person twenty-six years of age or older operating any motorcycle or motortricycle who has been issued an instruction permit shall wear protective headgear at all times the vehicle is in motion. The protective headgear shall meet reasonable standards and specifications established by the director. No political subdivision of this state shall impose a protective headgear requirement on the operator or passenger of a motorcycle or motortricycle. No person shall be stopped, inspected, or detained solely to determine compliance with this subsection.
Missouri law, Mo. Rev. Stat. § 302.020(2)
As of 8 Oct 2026
How much light must a tinted side or rear window let through?
Tinting or sun-screening material is permitted on the side and rear windows, with front door windows at no more than 65 percent light blockage. The front doors are where an officer looks in and where you look out at an intersection.
Tinting or sun-screening material is permitted on the side and rear windows (front door windows at no more than 65% light blockage).
As of 14 Sep 2026
How much distance must you leave when passing a bicycle?
When passing, give bicycles and mopeds a full lane width and do not squeeze past them. A bicycle needs room to swerve around a drain grate. Squeezing past takes that room away at the worst moment.
When you are passing, give bicycles and mopeds a full lane width. Do not squeeze past these road users.
As of 14 Sep 2026
Must a vehicle driving slower than other traffic keep to the right lane?
(3) Upon all highways any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic thereon shall be driven in the right-hand lane for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand edge or curb, except as otherwise provided in sections 304.014 to 304.025;
Missouri law, Mo. Rev. Stat. § 304.015(5)(3)
As of 8 Oct 2026
What is the minimum liability insurance coverage for bodily injury or death of one person and property damage?
(2) Shall insure the person named therein and any other person, as insured, using any such motor vehicle or motor vehicles with the express or implied permission of such named insured, against loss from the liability imposed by law for damages arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of such motor vehicle or motor vehicles within the United States of America or the Dominion of Canada, subject to limits, exclusive of interest and costs, with respect to each such motor vehicle, as follows: twenty-five thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident and, subject to said limit for one person, fifty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident, and twenty-five thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident; and
Missouri law, Mo. Rev. Stat. § 303.190(2)(2)
As of 8 Oct 2026
Ask a question about Missouri road law
Easier than searching the manual: ask in your own words — how far from a fire hydrant you may park, when you must stop for a school bus — and the answer comes from Missouri Driver Guide or Missouri’s code, with the page or the section it is in. When neither says, the answer says so rather than guess. Or tick Nationwide and compare every state on one question.