Missouri · Handbook chapter 9 · 4 min read

Missouri's insurance requirements and penalties, what to do after a crash, Steer It and Clear It, accident reports, safety and emissions inspections, required equipment, and the hands-free electronic device law.

Why this chapter matters

Driving without insurance, leaving a crash scene or holding your phone can cost you your license. These rules round out the written test.

Insurance

Missouri requires liability insurance (financial responsibility) of at least:

Keep proof of insurance in the vehicle (a card, policy, receipt or an electronic copy on a phone). Without it, you get a ticket.

If you cause a crash and do not pay for the damage, your license and plates are suspended for one year unless you settle.

After a crash

1. Stop. Move your car off the road if possible.
2. Help anyone hurt, but do not move them; call an ambulance.
3. Call the police.
4. Warn traffic with flares, reflectors or flashlights at night or in bad weather.
5. Exchange names, addresses, license numbers, VINs, plate numbers and insurance details.
6. Stay until an officer says you may leave, and tell your insurer.

Leaving the scene, even after hitting a parked car, is a crime.

Steer It and Clear It

In a minor crash with no injuries, Missouri law requires you to move your vehicle to the shoulder or off the road. Every minute a lane is blocked backs up traffic for four minutes, and secondary crashes cause 18 percent of fatalities.

Accident reports

File a report with the Driver License Bureau within 30 days if the crash happened in Missouri, someone involved had no liability insurance, and there was more than $500 of property damage or any injury or death.

Striking a highway worker or emergency responder in a work or emergency zone can cost your license.

Inspections

• Safety inspections are needed every two registration years for many vehicles. Vehicles in their first ten model years with under 150,000 miles are exempt, as are trailers. A passed inspection certificate is good for 60 days.
• Emissions inspections are required in St. Louis City and St. Louis, St. Charles, Franklin and Jefferson counties.

Required equipment

Working brakes, two white headlights, two red taillights and reflectors visible from 500 feet, turn signals and brake lights, a horn, wipers, safety glass, an exhaust system with muffler, inside and outside mirrors (cars built after 1967), and seat belts. Passenger car bumpers may not be higher than 22 inches.

Other rules:

• Plates must be clean, visible and not covered by frames, with a white light making the rear plate visible from 50 feet.
• A load sticking out more than 5 feet past the rear needs a red flag at least 16 inches square by day and a red light at night.
• A towline must keep vehicles within 15 feet of each other.
• Vehicles going 25 mph or slower need a slow-moving vehicle emblem on the rear.
• Studded snow tires are allowed only from November 1 to April 1.

Distracted driving and phones

Texting is the most dangerous distraction because it takes your eyes, hands and mind off driving. Under Missouri's hands-free law, while the vehicle is moving you may not:

• hold or support a phone with any part of your body;
• type, write, send or read text messages;
• record, post or broadcast video, or watch a video.

You may use voice-operated or hands-free calling, voice-to-text, and GPS or audio apps. Since January 1, 2025, violations can bring an infraction rather than just a warning.

Set controls, check messages and secure pets before you drive.