Missouri · Handbook chapter 5 · 6 min read

Chapter 5: Pavement markings, signs and signals

Missouri pavement markings, lane rules, traffic officers, traffic lights and left-turn signal phases, sign colors and shapes, warning, regulatory, railroad, work zone, guide, service and route signs, speed limits and mile markers.

Why this chapter matters

Missouri gives a separate road sign test at every new license and every renewal, and the written test asks about markings and signals too. Learn colors and shapes first: they tell you what a sign means before you can read it.

Pavement markings

• Stop lines and crosswalks: stop before the stop line, or before the crosswalk. Yield to pedestrians in or about to enter a crosswalk, marked or not.
• Dual-use lanes: a turn arrow and straight arrow together let you turn or go straight; if only the straight signal arrow shows, wait for the turn arrow.
• Shared center lanes: solid and dashed yellow on each side, alternating arrows; for left turns (and U-turns where allowed) from both directions.
• No markings: never back up or stop in a travel lane. With three or more lanes your way, stay right except to pass.

Traffic officers

Always obey an officer directing traffic, even if it contradicts the signal: if an officer signals you to stop at a green light, stop. Obey highway workers and school crossing guards too.

Traffic lights

Left-turn phases can be permissive (green ball or flashing yellow arrow: wait for a gap), protected (green arrow while oncoming traffic has red) or both.

Sign colors and shapes

Warning signs

Yellow, usually diamonds. Stop ahead and signal ahead: be ready to stop. School crossing (moving to yellow-green) and pedestrian crossing: slow and yield. Added lane: traffic joins in its own lane, no merging needed. Merge: be ready for vehicles moving into your lane. Lane ends, merge left: right-lane drivers merge left, yielding. Divided roadway begins/ends. A turn sign marks a turn with a recommended speed of 30 mph or less; a curve sign marks a curve with a recommended speed below the limit. Reverse turn: two turns in opposite directions. Large arrow and chevrons: slow for a sharp change of direction. Object markers: something is in or near the road. The orange triangle slow-moving vehicle emblem means under 25 mph. Also: soft shoulder, share the road with bicycles, slippery when wet, side road, intersection, T intersection (you must turn right or left), roundabout ahead and side road railroad crossing.

Regulatory signs

White with black or red. A red circle and slash means the action shown is not allowed (no left turn, no right turn, no trucks, no bicycles, no U-turn).

• STOP: full stop at the stop line (even if it is past the sign), or before the crosswalk, or before entering the intersection; go when crossing traffic and pedestrians have cleared.
• YIELD: slow down and yield to traffic in the intersection or road you are entering.
• WRONG WAY: you are in oncoming lanes; pull off, turn around and go back.
• DO NOT ENTER, ONE WAY, KEEP RIGHT and lane control arrows.
• SPEED LIMIT: the maximum in ideal conditions. Slow down when conditions demand. Interstates also have a minimum of 40 mph in normal conditions; if that is too fast for you, use another route.

Speed limits

Unless posted otherwise, the limit in any city, town or village is 25 mph. The guide's table of uniform maximums lists rural interstates and freeways at 75, rural expressways at 65, urban interstates and expressways at 60, other roads outside urban areas at 60 and lettered roads at 55. The same page also says Missouri's interstates have a maximum of 70 mph, with lower limits posted in urban areas. Always obey the posted sign.

Railroad crossings

The round advance warning sign and pavement markings tell you a crossing is near. The white crossbuck works like a YIELD sign; a plaque below shows the number of tracks. You must stop 15 to 50 feet from the tracks when red lights flash or the gate is down, and never go around a gate. Lights may keep flashing after a train passes; look for a second train. Do not shift gears on the tracks, and never start across without room on the other side.

Work zones

Signs are fluorescent orange. Work zone types include shoulder work, lane closures, flagging operations (follow the flagger) and mobile work zones, where a protective vehicle with a flashing arrow panel and a SLOW VEHICLES sign shows which lane to use. Speeding or passing in a work zone costs at least $250 (first offense) or $300.

Guide, service and route signs

• Green or brown guide signs show directions and distances or recreation areas. Blue signs show services such as rest areas and hospitals.
• Route sign shapes show the road type: interstate, US, state or county.
• Odd route numbers run north-south; even numbers run east-west. Three-digit interstates starting with an even digit loop around cities (such as I-270); those starting with an odd digit are spurs into a city (such as I-170).
• Exit numbers start at zero at the west or south edge of the state and increase going east or north.
• Emergency reference markers are placed every two-tenths of a mile along interstates, showing direction and route.