Sharing the road in Missouri

By the end of this topic you can

• You can yield to pedestrians, including blind pedestrians, correctly.
• You can pass cyclists and motorcyclists safely.
• You can avoid a truck's blind spots and judge its stopping distance.
• You can act correctly around funeral processions.

What you need to know and understand

• Even on a green light you must yield to pedestrians still in the intersection.
• You must come to a complete stop for a pedestrian using a guide dog or a white cane.
• Do not pass a vehicle that has stopped or slowed for a pedestrian.
• Give bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles a full lane width when passing.
• A car at 55 mph needs about 130 to 140 feet to stop; a loaded tractor-trailer may need almost 400 feet.
• Organized funeral processions have the right of way at intersections, except for emergency vehicles or police directions.

People on foot

Yield to pedestrians in marked or unmarked crosswalks on or approaching your side of the road. Do not block crosswalks when you stop at a red light, and check right before turning right, especially on red. Children can dart out without looking, so slow down near schools, parks and playgrounds, and obey school crossing patrols. If someone is crossing with a guide dog or a white cane, stop completely.

Bikes, mopeds and motorcycles

• They are easy to miss and their speed is hard to judge, especially at intersections.
• Do not share a lane with a motorcycle; the rider needs the whole lane.
• Pass with a full lane width, or wait behind until it is safe.
• When turning right, stay behind a cyclist until you can turn; when turning left, yield to oncoming cyclists.
• You may cross a bike lane to turn or park, but you must yield to cyclists in it.
• Check for cyclists before opening your door.

Trucks, processions and trains

Large trucks have big blind spots, called No-Zones, at the front, back and both sides. If you cannot see the driver in the truck's mirror, the driver cannot see you. Do not cut in front of a truck, and after passing, wait until you see its cab in your rear-view mirror before moving back. Trucks may swing left before a right turn. Vehicles carrying hazardous materials must stop at every railroad crossing, so be ready to stop behind them.

If you meet a funeral procession, do not drive between its vehicles, join it to gain the right of way, or pass it except where a passing lane is provided.

Common mistakes

• Passing a car that has stopped at a crosswalk. A pedestrian may be crossing in front of it.
• Squeezing past a cyclist in a narrow lane. Wait for a clear stretch.
• Lingering beside a truck. Pass steadily or drop back.
• Only looking left when turning right onto a main road. Check right for wrong-way cyclists too.

Test yourself: Sharing the road in Missouri

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Learning to Drive in Missouri
• Missouri Hands-Free Law Explained for New Drivers
• Missouri 40-Hour Supervised Driving Requirement