Passing on the left — Missouri Permit Test

Passing on the left on the Missouri permit test — 4 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

You may not drive to the left side of the roadway when you are approaching the crest of a grade or a curve where your view is obstructed.

Over a rise you cannot see what is coming, and neither can they see you. The pass is committed before either of you knows.

No vehicle shall at any time be driven to the left side of the roadway under the following conditions when: • Approaching the crest of a grade or upon a curve of the highway where the driver’s view is obstructed within such distance as to create a hazard in the event another vehicle might approach from the opposite direction;

Missouri Driver Guide, p.22

You may not drive to the left side of the roadway when your view is obstructed within 100 feet of a bridge, viaduct, or tunnel.

A bridge has no shoulder to escape onto. A hundred feet is the margin the state draws around it.

No vehicle shall at any time be driven to the left side of the roadway under the following conditions when: • Approaching the crest of a grade or upon a curve of the highway where the driver’s view is obstructed within such distance as to create a hazard in the event another vehicle might approach from the opposite direction; • The view is obstructed upon approaching within 100 feet of any bridge, viaduct, or tunnel;

Missouri Driver Guide, p.22

You may not drive to the left side of the roadway within 100 feet of, or at, any intersection or railroad grade crossing.

Cars turn out of intersections and trains come out of crossings. Being on the wrong side of the road there leaves nowhere to go.

No vehicle shall at any time be driven to the left side of the roadway under the following conditions when: • Approaching the crest of a grade or upon a curve of the highway where the driver’s view is obstructed within such distance as to create a hazard in the event another vehicle might approach from the opposite direction; • The view is obstructed upon approaching within 100 feet of any bridge, viaduct, or tunnel; • Approaching within 100 feet of or at any intersection or railroad grade crossing; or

Missouri Driver Guide, p.22

You may not drive to the left side of the roadway where there is a solid yellow line.

The line is the state's judgment that you cannot see far enough. It is drawn where the sight lines run out.

No vehicle shall at any time be driven to the left side of the roadway under the following conditions when: • Approaching the crest of a grade or upon a curve of the highway where the driver’s view is obstructed within such distance as to create a hazard in the event another vehicle might approach from the opposite direction; • The view is obstructed upon approaching within 100 feet of any bridge, viaduct, or tunnel; • Approaching within 100 feet of or at any intersection or railroad grade crossing; or • There is a solid yellow line.

Missouri Driver Guide, p.22

On the test

Why does Missouri bar passing near the crest of a hill?

Because the driver's view is obstructed. Over a rise you cannot see what is coming, and neither can they see you. The pass is committed before either of you knows. Missouri Driver Guide, p.22: “No vehicle shall at any time be driven to the left side of the roadway under the following conditions when: • Approaching the crest of a grade or upon a curve of the highway where the driver’s view is obstructed within such distance as to create a hazard in the event another vehicle might approach from the opposite direction;”

How this works

Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.

You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

What it costs

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All Missouri permit topics

Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Missouri Driver Guide, published by the Missouri Department of Revenue, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-16.