Center for Distance and Independent Study
Driver Education, One Half Unit

Commentary

Chapter One: The Missouri Driver License

Contrary to popular belief, it is not one of your inalienable rights as resident of this state to receive a driver license. It is a privilege that you earn by following established guidelines, and you retain this privilege by following the driving laws of our state.

You may get a Missouri driver license if you are at least 16 years old and a resident of this state. The Department of Revenue will not issue a license even a day before your birthday. For example, if your local office gives the test on Tuesdays and Thursdays and your birthday is on a Wednesday, you must wait a day to take the test after your birthday. You may, however, take the driver license test at any branch office. I recommend that you take it in your own community because that is where you will be doing most of your driving.

You do not need a Missouri license if you are in the military and have a valid license from your state of residency. Full-time students from out of state may use their licenses in Missouri. You do not need a license if you are driving farm machines on public roads for a short distance. It is legal, therefore, for my 13-year-old cousin to drive the family's tractor going from a hay field to the dairy barn. She could not, however, take the pick-up truck to town for a spin around the Dairy Queen parking lot.

Some people cannot get a Missouri license. Primarily this affects people who have lost their driving privilege. Throughout the Missouri Driver Guide you will encounter the terms suspended and revoked. A suspended license refers to situations in which driving is illegal for a temporary period of time—30, 60, or 90 days. A revoked license refers to the loss of the license for a year. After the revocation is over, applicants retake all tests.

Use the following activity to learn the five types of non-commercial licenses and two types of permits available in Missouri.

Click here for a printer-friendly version of the "Missouri Driver Licenses and Permits" activity.

Shortly before your license is due for renewal, you should receive a reminder from the Department of Revenue. You cannot legally drive after your license expires. The Department will allow you to renew as long as 6 months after the expiration date without taking the written and road tests over. Renewal may take place at any Missouri Department of Revenue office or online at the state's web site. You should carry your license when you plan to drive. It is a good means of identification at other occasions.

When applying for a license or permit, you will have to show proof of identity, residence, and lawful presence. See the acceptable documents listed in Chapter 1 of the Missouri Driver Guide. Other acceptable documents are listed in Chapter 1 of the Missouri Driver Guide. I recommend that you try to locate those items a day or two before you go to get your license/permit. It is very frustrating to be so eager and ready to get your permit only to discover that Mom and Dad cannot find those documents. It may take as long as two weeks to get a new birth certificate if you were born out of state.

Note: Be sure to read Chapter 1 of the Missouri Driver Guide about the violations that would cause you to lose your license.

Chapter Two: The Driver Examination

Whether a new or a veteran driver, you will take the license test. Before beginning the test, you will have to show your identification. The written test consists of 25 multiple-choice questions. You must get 20 correct to pass. If you have a reading disability, you may have it read to you. Most of my students return to school saying the written test was relatively easy if they reviewed a few evenings in advance of taking it. If you do well on the progress evaluation for this lesson, you will have few difficulties with the state exam.

The vision test is a check of your visual acuity at a 20/40 level and a check of your peripheral vision. If you fail the vision test, you will have to see an eye care professional for corrective lenses before you can proceed to drive.

Before taking the driving test, you must also pass the road sign test to show you recognize traffic signs and know what to do when you see them.

You should look over the specific items in the Missouri Driver Guide that will be on the driving (road) test. Whenever a student returns after having failed the driving test, I usually ask them for advice I can pass on to future students. I have also heard driver examiners speak at statewide teachers' meetings. From those students and examiners, I have compiled the following list of hints that may prove helpful to you:

1. Do not be nervous. That is more easily said than done. I remember being very nervous on my road test. My best advice to you is to be very prepared for the test. If you have practiced driving on your permit, you should be ready for the test. I suggest you ask your friends about the driving route they took and practice driving it a few times with your parents. Concentrate on the task at hand rather than how you feel, and you should be less nervous.
2. Remember the job of the examiner is to test you. Examiners are not driving instructors. The examiner is not an ogre determined to fail 90 percent of all 16-year-olds. Examiners are trained to evaluate your driving as objectively as possible. They are not teachers. Your driving instructor may help correct your mistakes. Examiners simply make note of your errors.
3. Take the road test when traffic is light. You will probably be more successful if you avoid heavy traffic. I usually caution my students to avoid morning and afternoon rush hour as well as the lunch hour.
4. Show courtesy to pedestrians. Establish eye contact with pedestrians so you can be sure whether they are, or are not, going to proceed through a marked or unmarked crosswalk. Moreover, of course, watch out for pedestrians who appear to be ready to jaywalk.
5. Look far ahead on the driving route. In this way, you can correctly respond to traffic lights, signs, and pavement markings.
6. When turning right and left, do not make square turns. Make rounded turns as follows:

7. Do not run a yellow or red traffic light. If the light changes while you are in the intersection, continue through. You should be able to anticipate the timing of a green light changing to a yellow light. One way to anticipate this change is to glance at the pedestrian signs at the intersection. The pedestrian DON'T WALK light will begin to flash before the traffic light changes to yellow.
8. Yield the right of way. When turning left at a signal with no green arrow, you must yield the right of way to oncoming traffic. If traffic is heavy, wait at the white stop line and creep slightly into the intersection when there is a gap large enough to allow you to turn:

   This activity demonstrates a correct left-hand turn. If you are not seeing this activity you need to download the Macromedia Flash Player. Contact the Center for help.

   

    

   If you are in the intersection when the light turns yellow, complete your turn as soon as possible. Sometimes oncoming traffic will go through a yellow light. You must still yield to them.

9. Check your blind spot. When executing a lane change, check your blind spot just before moving over. Do not let much time elapse between your check and the maneuver into the next lane. Also, check your blind spot before entering traffic from the curb side of the street.
10. Be confident when parking. Parallel parking is one skill most beginners fear. It is part of the road test so that you can exhibit your skill in maneuvering the vehicle in and out of a tight space. Doing a poor job on parking will not cause you to fail if you have driven well on the rest of the route.
11. Follow correct procedures when stopping. Before stopping at a stop sign or a traffic signal, check your rearview mirror for tailgaters. When at a stop sign, stop behind the sidewalk or crosswalk. At least stop somewhere before the intersection. Remember, you must come to a dead stop for a few seconds. If you cannot see traffic, creep forward slowly, then continue your maneuver unless you need to yield.

If you fail the driver test, the examiner will explain your errors. Failure is demoralizing for everyone, but you need to be as objective as possible when the examiner goes over your mistakes. At our license bureau, the examiners take the time to discuss the road test with your parent as well. Generally, the examiners recommend more practice driving for students who fail. You may take the written test over that same day after failing it, but you may only take one driving test per day.

After you pass the road test, you will return to the office and have your photo license made. These are not studio photos with a choice from several poses, and they will probably not flatter your good looks. You should receive your license within 20 minutes.

Chapter Three: Pavement Markings, Traffic Signs, Lights, and Signals

The lines on Missouri roads and highways tell you where to drive. Some definitions may assist your understanding of road markings:

• A solid yellow line separates traffic going in opposite directions, and it prohibits passing.
• A broken yellow line separates traffic going in opposite directions. It allows passing.
• A broken white line separates traffic going the same direction and allows both passing and lane changing.
• A solid white line separates traffic going the same way. It prohibits passing and lane changing. It may also delineate the right edge of a highway.

Be sure to study the traffic signs in this chapter of the Missouri Driver Guide. The editors give you some excellent examples of traffic signs in this chapter.

The information concerning traffic signals is very important. In Missouri's larger cities, you may see dual-use lanes, lane control signals, and reverse-traffic-flow lanes. I will discuss them at length later in the course.

You must memorize the speed limits in the graph in the speed limit section of this chapter. Note that county highways in Missouri have letters (Highway A or Highway CC, for example). Other highway signs have numbers (Highway 50 or Highway 40, for example).

At the end of this chapter is a section regarding work zone signs. You should pay special attention to all highway signs. I would like to caution you to take extra care near construction zones. Most accidents in a work zone are caused by driver inattention, excessive speed, and following too closely. Usually, it is the motorist who is injured or killed, but a number of highway workers have also been killed or injured while working in construction zones. In the last few years, Missouri and other states have passed laws with stiff fines and other penalties for careless driving in these zones. If you are stopped for speeding or passing in a construction or work zone, you could be fined a minimum of $250 for your first offense. You may also be penalized if you fail to stop when a flagman tells you to stop or if you hit a safety cone in the work zone. Whenever you approach a work zone, the best advice is for you to slow down and pay close attention.

Chapter Four: Rules of the Road

As you study the right-of-way rules in this chapter of the Missouri Driver Guide, you should also remember these hints:

1. You must yield to drivers and pedestrians who try to beat the light when it turns yellow, red, or reads DON'T WALK.
2. If two drivers stop at a four-way stop at the same time, the driver on the right goes first. Establishing eye contact may help ensure the correct person yields.
3. You must yield when entering a highway. It is courteous for persons in the slow lane of the highway to move over and let you in, but ultimately your duty is to yield. You should accelerate to match the speed of traffic on the highway, find an opening in traffic, and merge smoothly into traffic. If you are on the highway and someone is trying to merge onto the highway, remember that your courtesy in moving into the left lane could prevent an accident.
4. After you have stopped for an emergency vehicle, you should remain stopped for a while in order to establish a decent following distance behind that vehicle.
5. Missouri has a "MOVE OVER" law that requires drivers to slow down and move over, or away from an emergency vehicle that is on the side of the road with its emergency lights on. Pay attention to other drivers before changing lanes or moving over to the side.
6. Look again at the section on school buses in the Missouri Driver Guide. Basically, you must stop for the bus and school children unless you are oncoming traffic on a four-lane street or highway.
7. Drive to the right. In fact, you may even see signs stating to KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS.
8. Obey all traffic signs, signals, and pavement markings. Give signals for all maneuvers.
9. Pass on the left except on one-way streets, four-lane highways, when there is road construction, or at the direction of a traffic officer.
10. You must allow overtaking vehicles to pass you. Do not speed up to "teach them a lesson."
11. Follow the basic rule of speed, which is to drive at a speed that is reasonable and proper according to both road and weather conditions, and to stay within the posted speed limit. In this chapter of the Missouri Driver Guide, there are some excellent drawings of proper turns. Study each drawing. Remember that regardless of which maneuver you are making, you should turn from the closest legal lane into the closest legal lane. When you drive in more densely populated areas, you will use multiple left-turn lanes. These require you to turn into the corresponding lane, as in the drawing below.

 

Establish eye contact with the driver beside you to be sure he/she will be turning into the correct lane. Be sure to read the sections about two-way left turn lanes and additional city/county ordinances.

In the earlier discussion of work zones in Chapter 3, I shared information about construction or work zones. Because of the number of deaths in construction zones, Missouri now levies stiffer fines for drivers who are caught speeding or passing in a construction zone on a state roadway. Use the following advice from the Missouri Department of Transportation whenever you enter a construction zone:

Drive Smart in Work Zones to Arrive Alive

• Buckle Up!—Every trip, every time—safety belts save lives.
• Stay Alert!—Dedicate your full attention to the roadway.
• Follow Signs!—They'll guide you through work zones safely.
• Expect the Unexpected!—Watch for flaggers, workers, and equipment.
• Pay Attention!—Turn the radio down and don't use your cellular phone.
• Be Patient!—Remember workers are improving the road for future travels.
• Don't Speed!—Follow posted limits and adjust for weather conditions.
• Don't Drink and Drive!—Impairment of any kind is unacceptable.
• Be Nice!—Merge as directed, don't tailgate, and don't change lanes in a work zone.

Chapter Five: Parking

Generally, parking regulations are monitored by cities. Municipalities can designate areas as no-parking zones, regulate parking with meters, and issue tickets to drivers who break parking regulations. A parking ticket is not a state driving violation and does not appear on your driving record. The parking ticket will be quite expensive if you use a handicapped space illegally.

When parallel parking, you may wish to alter the suggestions in this chapter. Listed below are a few tips I share with my students on our multi-car driving range:

1. A signal is not mandated before you begin to park. Although some drivers give a right turn signal to move over in traffic, your reverse lights communicate your intentions as well.
2. Stop even with the car ahead so your back bumper is on the same line. You should allow about 12-18 inches beside the cars.
3. In the drawing below, you should observe that Step 1 involves turning your wheels sharply to the right and backing slowly into the parking place, looking behind you as you back up. In Step 2, stop when the front seat of your car is even with the left rear corner of the front car and turn the steering wheel about 1 ½ rotations to the left so your tires are straight. Back straight, glancing behind and to the side to check for clearance. Stop when you have cleared the car.
4. In Step 3, remain stopped. Turn the wheel sharply left and then continue backing. Use the full length of the parking space. In Step 4, stop and shift into drive. Pull forward to center your vehicle in the space.
5. When leaving the parking space, back up just a little to use the full space for maneuvering. Shift into drive and turn the wheels hard left. Give a left-turn hand signal, check your left blind spot, and go. Note: Use a hand signal when exiting because parked cars may obscure your turn signals.

Study the section in the Missouri Driver Guide that covers the procedures for parking on a hill.

Chapter Six: Highway Driving

The explanation in this chapter of the Missouri Driver Guide is sufficient at this time, but later we will have an entire lesson on highway driving. Read this chapter now. There will be some questions from this chapter on the Lesson 1 Progress Evaluation.

Chapter Seven: Sharing the Road

Read this chapter carefully. Be sure you know about littering fines and safety tips for bicyclists and motorcyclists, and study the pages about sharing the road with trucks. Also, know the rules for being in a funeral procession and driving in traffic when you are not a member of the procession.

Chapter Eight: Safe Driving Tips for Everyday Driving

Seatbelt laws are common in every state. Laws for children in cars are very similar. Because of these laws, we've reduced the number of children's injuries and deaths in moving vehicles. Car seats, booster seats, and seat belts are better designed and when used correctly, they reduce your risk. The newer booster seats are designed for the strap to fit across the child's hip bone. Did you know that is the strongest bone in your body?

Whenever using a safety restraint system, follow the directions that came with it.

The following people must buckle up in Missouri:

• All children up to age 4, regardless of weight, must be in a child passenger restraint system appropriate for that child, preferably in the back seat.
• Any child who weighs less than 40 pounds must be in an appropriate child passenger restraint system.
• Children, who are between 4–8 years old, weigh between 40–80 pounds, and shorter than 4 foot, 9 inches, should be in the appropriate child passenger restraint system or a booster seat.
• Children who are 80 or more pounds and over 4 foot 9 inches tall should be buckled up with the vehicle safety belt or appropriate booster seat.

Children are not the only people who should be buckled up while in a moving car. Laws require the following people to buckle up too:

• All people from ages 4–16, regardless of where they are seated.
• All front-seat passengers and the driver in cars.
• All people under age 18 in a truck.
• All passengers in a vehicle with a driver who has an intermediate driver license.

Stopping Distance: The 3-second rule is discussed in this chapter. It is a good following distance rule to follow under normal traffic conditions. Occasionally you may hear someone say to allow 1 car length for every 10 mph. For example, if you are driving 40 mph, you should allow 4 car lengths between you and the car ahead of you.

If you are keeping a good following distance, you should have time and space to stop. In order to calculate your total stopping distance, go through the steps in the following exercise:

Click here for a printer-friendly version of the "Total Stopping Distance" activity.

If you refer to the bar graph in this chapter (see "Average Stopping Distance of Cars on Dry, Level Pavement"), you can see examples of stopping distances at other speeds. Essentially, your total stopping distance equals the distance you cover within 4 seconds, regardless of your speed.

Chapter Nine: Motor Vehicle Insurance (Financial Responsibility) and Accidents

If you have a collision, you need to follow the steps recommended in the Missouri Driver Guide. It is very important that you stop at the scene of the accident. Sometimes people get emotional in a traffic crash and are not rational. I know of one teenager who left the scene and lost her license for a year.

When checking for injuries in a crash, take an assessment of your own injuries before moving around and trying to help someone else. If you treat someone else's injuries before medical help arrives, give only the first aid you are knowledgeable enough to handle.

Someone will need to call local law enforcement for assistance. Do not let some adult intimidate you into not calling. Most of the time, local officers will not work a collision on private property. In that case, you will need to get the following information from the other driver:

• Name
• Address
• Driver's license number
• License plate number and state
• Insurance company, agent, and/or policy number. Each time you pay insurance, you will receive some type of document with all of this data. The law requires you to keep the information in your vehicle as proof of your financial responsibility for the damages you might do to others and their property. If you do not have insurance or do not pay for your crashes, your license will be suspended. Your plates will be suspended so no one in your family can drive the vehicle. You will have to pay a reinstatement fee and prove you have insurance for 3 years.

Chapter Ten: Alcohol, Drugs, and Driving

Later in the course, we will have a lengthy lesson on alcohol and other drugs. For purposes of this lesson, we will focus specifically on the laws that affect Missourians.

If an officer has probable cause to believe you are driving while intoxicated, he or she will most likely give you a few field sobriety tests. If you take a breathalyzer test, a reading of 0.0% indicates no alcohol in your system, but a reading of 0.08% or more is presumptive evidence of a DWI violation. The officer may also opt for a blood or urine test to check for the presence for other drugs besides alcohol. When you receive your license, you automatically obligate yourself to take these tests. This is the implied consent law. Refusal to cooperate could result in a one-year revocation.

You might want to pause now and reread the chart in this chapter concerning penalties for BAC and DWI. Because alcohol is responsible for a large percentage of all teenage traffic deaths, we also have the Abuse and Lose Law in Missouri. If you are a minor, you cannot legally use alcohol and drive. You can lose your license for 90 days if you are caught. The days when officers pour the beer out and send you home are certainly over. Remember that you cannot get your intermediate or full license if you have had an alcohol conviction in the past 12 months.

Missouri's Abuse and Lose Law: Missouri's Abuse and Lose Law states the following:

If ordered by the court, anyone under 21 years of age may have his or her driving privilege suspended for 90 days for a first offense or revoked for one year for a subsequent offense for any one of the following reasons:

1. Any alcohol-related traffic offense.
2. Any offense involving the possession or use of alcohol while operating a motor vehicle.
3. Any offense involving the possession or use of drugs.
4. Any offense involving the alteration, modification, or misrepresentation of a driver license.
5. A second offense involving the possession or use of alcohol by someone under 18 years of age.

If ordered by the court, anyone 21 years of age or older, may have his or her driving privilege revoked for one year for possession or use of drugs while driving.

Chapter Eleven: The Point System and How it Affects You

The Missouri Legislature set up the point system to get frequent violators off the road. After a conviction for breaking a driving law, the driver will receive a specific number of points on his/her driving record. Everyone starts with 0 points. You may have heard someone say, "My brother got a speeding ticket, and they took 3 points off his license." This is a misconception. The Department of Revenue really added 3 points to his record. Listed below are the penalties:

Click here for a printer-friendly version of the "Penalty Points" activity.

If you receive 4 points in 12 months, the Department of Revenue will notify you that you are in jeopardy of losing your license. If you get 8 or more points in 18 months, your license will be suspended. Suspensions are in 30-day increments. Large point totals (12 in one year, for instance) result in revocation.

After accumulating all of these points, you can get them reduced back to zero. They reduce by 1/3 after one year of no violations, by 1/2 after 2 years, and back to zero after 3 years. Accumulating points is serious business. It is important to the state that you keep a clean driving record. Points may have a noticeable impact on your insurance rates. If I had received a violation as a teenager, my parents would have grounded me for a long, long time.

Click here to see Missouri's Department of Revenue point list.

Missouri and many states have taken several steps to create safe conditions for the highway workers, as well as motorists. Departments of Transportation publicize construction projects via billboards, television spots, and radio advertisements. For some construction projects, they will work at night when there is less traffic.

In 2006, Missouri passed a new highway work zone law that penalizes motorists for reckless driving. If you violate the speed or injure someone, you could be assigned 12 points and fined up to $10,000.

Missouri's new highway work zone law includes the following provisions:

• Imposes a fine for killing or injuring a highway worker of up to $10,000 and loss of their license for a year.
• Creates two new crimes—endangerment of a highway worker and aggravated endangerment of a highway worker.
• Sets a $75 fine for any person convicted of a second or subsequent moving violation within a work zone; any person convicted of a second or subsequent speeding or passing violation in a work zone will get a $300 fine.
• Expands the definition of highway worker to cover suppliers and delivery personnel.
• Repeals a sign covering and uncovering provision, so now informational signs will always remain unveiled in a work zone.

Click here to read work zone driving tips provided by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Chapter 12: Motor Vehicle Inspection and Equipment Regulation

Safe, efficient vehicles are necessary to keep our transportation system running well. For that reason, Missouri requires semi-annual inspection of motor vehicles. If your inspection is a two-year checkup, it will cost $12. You should probably plan to leave your vehicle for a few hours. Sometimes inspections are worked into a mechanic's schedule between other service needs.

In the section below, I have organized some of our state's regulations in a format that may be easier for you to study:

Click here for a printer-friendly version of the "Rules by the Foot " activity.

Remember that state law allows you to use studded snow tires only from November 1 until April 1. Remove those studded tires in the spring because they damage paved and asphalt road surfaces.

Chapter Thirteen: Vehicle Titling and Registration

When you own a vehicle in Missouri, you must receive a title to show your ownership of the vehicle. If you finance your car or truck with a bank, the bank will keep your title until you pay off the loan. While you are making payments, you will need to carry full-coverage insurance. With your title, you will also receive an odometer reading indicating the total mileage on the vehicle. It is illegal to alter the reading or roll back the mileage on the odometer.

When you get license plates for your vehicle, you are essentially registering it with the Department of Revenue. Take the following items with you:

1. a notice for renewal or a new application for plates
2. a certificate verifying your vehicle passed inspection within the past 60 days
3. your county personal property tax receipt or a statement that no taxes were due (These are available at the county courthouse. You will have to pay taxes on the vehicle the following December.)
4. proof of insurance
5. cash or check to pay for the license plates. You are eligible to apply for personalized plates by paying an extra $15 (1 year) or $30 (two year renewal). As you are aware, many of the choice names, words, and dates have been taken. If your choice meets with the approval of the Revenue office, your plates will be available in a few weeks.

Chapter 14: Safe Driving Tips for Special Driving Conditions

I hope you notice that some of the foot rules listed in the commentary for Chapter 12 appear in this chapter of the Missouri Driver Guide. Later in the course, we will have a lesson on special driving conditions. For the present, study the foot rules that pertain to safe driving, but be sure to know about night driving, hydroplaning, ABS, and handling a skid.

There is a very important section in this chapter called "Handling Vehicle Emergencies." Study and learn what to do in each situation. We will have an extensive lesson on this topic later in the course.

Chapter 15: Commercial Vehicles

Skip this chapter until you are ready to get a Class E chauffeur's (for hire) license.