Can you get a ticket for changing lanes in the middle of an intersection in Missouri?
You see drivers change lanes all the time, but have you ever seen a driver change in the middle of an intersection?
It’s a risky move, especially with the dangers drivers face in intersections. Each year around a quarter of traffic fatalities and about half of all traffic injuries in the United States are attributed to intersections, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
In Missouri, changing lanes applies to one or more lanes going in the same direction of traffic, with a dotted white line between them. Moving safely from one lane to another is up to the driver’s discretion, but it can land you in trouble if you put yourself or other drivers at risk.
Is it illegal to change lanes in the middle of an intersection in Missouri? Here’s what state law says.
Can I change lanes in the middle of an intersection?
There is no state law that explicitly prevents drivers in Missouri from changing lanes in the middle of an intersection.
But rivers are instructed to drive a vehicle in a “careful and prudent manner and at a rate of speed so as not to endanger the property of another or the life or limb of any person and shall exercise the highest degree of care,” according to a state statute.
Any person who violates this law is guilty of a class B misdemeanor. If there’s an accident, it becomes a class A misdemeanor.
Punishments for Class B misdemeanors include up to six months in jail, a fine up to $1,000 or both. Class A Misdemeanor can put drivers in jail for up to one year in jail and a fine as high as $2,000.
Drivers are also prohibiting from going on the left side of the roadway when the view is obstructed upon approaching 100 feet of any bridge, viaduct or tunnel, according to another state statute. The law also also applies to intersections and railroad grade crossings.
Violations of these are deemed a class C misdemeanor, which comes with up to 15 days in jail and a fine that doesn’t exceed $700, Missouri Highway Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Andy Bell said in an email. He said this applies for vehicles passing or overtaking other vehicles on the road.
“If there are no other vehicles present, I do not believe it is a violation, but if there are other circumstances, such as a pedestrian nearby, it could be deemed the driver was operating in a careless and imprudent manner,” Bell said.
