Pavement Markings, Traffic Signs and Signals: Broken and Solid Lines, Yellow Versus White, No-Passing Zones, Stop Lines and Crosswalks, Dual-Use and Shared Center Lanes, Rules When There Are No Markings, Traffic Officers, Flashing and Steady Signals, the Three Left-Turn Phases and Every Arrow, Dark Signals, Sign Colors and Shapes, Warning Signs, Regulatory Signs, Speed Limits and the 40 mph Interstate Minimum, Railroad Crossings, Work Zone Signs and the Four Kinds of Work Zone, Guide, Service and Route Signs, Exit Numbers and Mile Markers

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Missouri written test. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.

Source: Missouri Driver Guide (Department of Revenue, revised August 2026), Chapter 7 "Pavement Markings, Traffic Signs, and Signals" (pages 42–54).

Pavement markings

Lines and symbols on the road show where lanes divide, where you may pass or change lanes, which lane turns, where pedestrians cross and where to stop. Broken lines may be crossed to pass; solid lines should not be. Yellow separates traffic going in opposite directions; white separates traffic going the same way. If the line on your left is yellow, the traffic beyond it is coming toward you; if it is white, it is going your way. A solid white line marks the right edge of many roads. A four-lane road is divided by two solid yellow lines, which you never cross to pass.

Two-lane roads mark no-passing zones with a solid yellow line, on hills and curves where you cannot see far enough to pass safely; finish any pass before the zone begins, and when the solid yellow line is on your side, do not try. On any two-lane road, never pass unless you can see the road is clear for the whole distance you need, marked or not. Marked left-turn lanes use solid yellow lines and thick yellow stripes.

When a sign or signal requires a stop, stop before the stop line, or before the crosswalk if there is one. Crosswalks are where pedestrians cross; yield to anyone in or about to enter one, and stay alert at intersections whose crosswalks are not marked, because not all are.

A dual-use lane shows both a turn arrow and a straight arrow. When both arrows are lit on the signal you may turn or go straight; if only the straight arrow is showing and you want to turn, wait for the turn arrow. A shared center lane serves left turns (and U-turns where permitted) from both directions, with alternating left-turn arrows painted in it and a solid plus a dashed yellow line on each side; turn out of it as soon as your path is clear.

Where there are no markings, general rules apply. Never back up in a travel lane; if you miss a turn or exit, go on to a safe place to turn around. Never stop in a travel lane for any reason, including confusion, breakdown or dropping a passenger. With three or more lanes in your direction, stay in the right lane except to pass, or use the center lane if a lot of traffic is entering the right lane. The left-most lane is for passing; passing on the right risks the other driver not seeing you and changing lanes into you, and passing on the shoulder is never done.

Traffic officers

You must obey a traffic officer's directions at all times, over any sign or signal: if an officer tells you to stop at a green light, you stop. Highway personnel and school crossing guards are also traffic control, and you obey them too.

Traffic signals

Flashing signals appear during emergencies, at night, in low-traffic hours and at special events. A flashing red light means the same as a stop sign; a flashing yellow means slow down and proceed with caution.

• Red: stop at the stop line, the crosswalk, or before the intersection, and wait for green, except that after a complete stop you may turn right on red when the way is clear of pedestrians and traffic and no "No Right Turn On Red" sign is posted.
• Steady yellow: the light is changing to red; stop unless you are already in the intersection or so close you cannot stop safely.
• Green: you may go, after yielding to traffic and pedestrians still in the intersection.

Left turns on green come in three phases. Permissive: a circular green or a flashing yellow arrow, and you wait for a gap in opposing traffic. Protected: a green arrow while opposing traffic is held by a red light. Protected/permissive: a green-arrow phase followed by a circular green or flashing yellow arrow phase in which you again choose a gap. A steady red arrow means stop and wait for a green or flashing yellow arrow, yielding to pedestrians if needed. A steady yellow arrow follows a green arrow and warns that it is about to become a circular green, a flashing yellow arrow or red, so be ready to yield or stop. A flashing yellow arrow lets you go in the arrow's direction after yielding to opposing traffic and pedestrians. A green arrow lets you go in that direction from the proper lane when the way is clear of traffic and pedestrians. A dark or non-working signal operates as a four-way stop.

Sign colors and shapes

Colors: red stop, yield or prohibited; orange construction; black and white regulatory; green direction and distance; blue motorist services; yellow warning; brown public recreation and cultural interest; yellow-green school. Shapes: octagon stop; round railroad; triangle yield; crossbuck railroad; vertical rectangle regulatory; pennant no-passing zone; horizontal rectangle guide, parks and recreation; diamond warning; pentagon school.

Warning signs

Warning signs are yellow with black lettering or symbols, usually diamond shaped, and tell you to slow down and be ready to stop for a special situation or hazard ahead. Stop Ahead and Signal Ahead warn of a stop sign or traffic light on your road. School Crossing (being moved to yellow-green over about ten years) and Pedestrian Crossing tell you to slow and watch for people crossing. Exit Speed Advisory gives the ramp's advised speed. Added Lane means traffic from another road joins on its own lane and no merge is needed, while Merge means entering vehicles will move into your lane. Begin Divided Roadway and End Divided Roadway mark where a median or barrier starts and ends. Lane Ends / Merge Left means two lanes become one and the right lane must merge left, yielding to the left lane.

A Turn sign warns of a sharp turn advised at 30 mph or less; a Curve sign warns of a curve advised below the posted limit; both may carry a speed advisory plate, and the advised speed is for fair weather, never for rain, snow or ice. Reverse Turn warns of two turns in opposite directions, the second possibly sharper, at 30 mph or less. A Large Arrow sits on the outside of a turn and Chevrons add emphasis at curves. Object Markers flag things in or right beside the road and remind you to stay in your lane. The orange Slow Moving Vehicle triangle on the back of farm or construction equipment means it travels under 25 mph. Soft Shoulder warns not to drive off the pavement, Share the Road warns of bicycles in your lane, and Slippery When Wet warns of a road that is unusually slick in rain. Side Road Railroad Crossing warns of tracks right beside an intersection; Intersection, Side Road Ahead and T Intersection Ahead (your road ends, turn left or right) describe junctions; Roundabout Ahead tells you to slow to the posted advisory and follow roundabout rules.

Regulatory signs

Most regulatory signs are square or rectangular and white with black or red symbols, giving rules for direction, lane use, turning, speed, parking and special situations. A red circle with a slash means the action is prohibited: No Left Turn, No Right Turn, No Trucks, No Bicycles, No U-Turn.

• Stop: red with white letters and eight sides. Come to a full stop and wait until crossing vehicles and pedestrians have cleared. Stop at the stop line if there is one, even if it lies past the sign; otherwise before the crosswalk; otherwise at the edge of the intersection, then look both ways and go when safe.
• Yield: triangular, red and white. Slow down and give the right-of-way to traffic in the intersection or on the road you are entering.
• Wrong Way: you have turned into oncoming traffic; pull off, turn around and go back as quickly and safely as you can.
• Do Not Enter: do not enter that road.
• One Way: traffic moves in one direction only.
• Lane Control: arrows over or beside the road say which direction each lane may go.
• Keep Right: pass an obstruction or feature on its right side.
• Speed Limit: the maximum allowed by law in ideal conditions, not a promise the road is safe at that speed everywhere; adjust for hills, curves, slick pavement, limited sight distance, pedestrians, bicyclists and slow vehicles, and by law slow down when conditions demand. Interstates also post a minimum: under normal conditions you may not drive slower than 40 mph on an interstate, and if that is too fast for you, take another route.

Speed limits

Unless posted otherwise, the limit in any city, town or village is 25 mph. The guide's table gives 65 for rural expressways, 60 for interstates, freeways and expressways in urbanized areas, 60 for other roads outside urbanized areas, 55 for lettered roads, and lists 75 for rural interstates and freeways, while its paragraph on the more than 1,300 miles of interstate says their maximum is 70 mph; the guide itself is inconsistent on that one figure, so avoid resting a question on it. The Highways and Transportation Commission may set limits higher or lower for safety or traffic flow, and interstates through urban areas with frequent interchanges are usually posted lower.

Railroad crossings

The round advance warning sign, and often a pavement marking, tell you a crossing is near. Never race a train, never start across until there is room for your whole vehicle beyond the tracks, and avoid shifting gears on the tracks in case you stall. The white X-shaped crossbuck at the crossing means the same as a yield sign, and the plate under it shows how many tracks cross. Where alternating flashing red lights, or a gate (sometimes with a bell), are installed, you must stop when they operate and not cross until the train has passed. Stop 15 to 50 feet before the tracks, never drive around a lowered gate, expect the lights to keep flashing after a train passes, and where there are two or more tracks look for a second train.

Work zones

Work zone signs are fluorescent orange and may come with other devices or flaggers. Speeding or passing in a work zone on a state road brings a fine of at least $250 for a first offense and $300 for a second. Common signs are Road Work Ahead, Fresh Oil / Loose Gravel and Right Lane Closed Ahead. In any work zone stay alert for reduced limits, narrow lanes and workers, avoid distraction, obey the signs and watch for vehicles entering and leaving.

The four common types: shoulder work (on or beyond the shoulder; reduce speed), a lane closure (merge to the open lane and slow to the work zone limit), a flagging operation (a two-lane, two-way road with one lane closed and flaggers at each end; be ready to stop and follow the flagger), and a mobile work zone (slow or stopped work vehicles in the lane, a protective vehicle with a flashing arrow panel showing which lane to merge into, and a "SLOW VEHICLES" sign).

Guide, service and route signs

Guide signs are green or brown with white lettering and show direction and distance to cities, airports, state lines, parks and historic sites. Service signs are blue with white symbols for rest areas, hospitals and the like. Route sign shapes identify interstate, US, state and county routes. North-south routes carry odd numbers and east-west routes even; three-digit interstates starting with an even digit loop around a city (I-270, I-435) and those starting with an odd digit are spurs into it (I-155, I-170). Exit numbers on east-west interstates start at zero in the west and increase eastward; north-south exits increase from the south. Emergency reference markers stand every two-tenths of a mile on the outside shoulder of interstates and give the direction and route number so you can always report where you are. A sign also marks an authorized safety inspection station.

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