Is it legal to drive with your car’s interior lights on in Kansas and Missouri?

Do you remember being reprimanded as a kid for turning on a light inside the car during a long nighttime drive?

Sgt. Andy Bell of the Missouri State Highway Patrol remembers the same thing.

“When I was a kid, I’d want to turn the light on in the back seat, (and) my mom would say, hey, turn that back off, it’s kind of hard to see at night,” Bell recalled.

It’s a sentiment echoed by some driving safety organizations. For example, the American Automobile Association (AAA) even recommends lowering the brightness of glowing controls inside your vehicle while driving at night.

But are there laws against driving at night with the interior lights on?

Not in Kansas or Missouri.

Neither state has a law against turning on the interior lights inside your car while driving, even if it’s dark outside. Bell said that it’s not something troopers would pull over a car for, adding that he has never heard of interior lights leading to an accident in his 23 years on the force.

While both states have laws about obscuring the windshield and obstructing drivers’ vision, they all refer to solid materials like window coatings, snow or ice, stickers or posters and other decals. A reflection from inside the car isn’t mentioned in either state’s laws.

The reason organizations like AAA advise against driving at night with the lights on is the risk that it might distract the driver.

“In the darkness, the less light in a vehicle’s interior, the easier it is for the driver to see outside of the vehicle,” Dr. Bill Van Tassle writes for the organization’s nighttime driving tips page.

“The better a driver’s vision and perception, the safer they will be on the road.”

Do you have more questions about driving safely in Missouri or Kansas? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.

This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 1:57 PM.

Natalie Wallington

The Kansas City Star

Natalie Wallington was a reporter on The Star’s service journalism team with a focus on policy, labor, sustainability and local utilities from fall 2021 until early 2025. Her coverage of the region’s recycling system won a 2024 Feature Writing award from the Kansas Press Association.