Can You Ever Make a Left Turn on Red in Missouri?
In many states, you can in some limited circumstances make a left turn at a red light. So what's the law here in Missouri?
In many states, if you're traveling down a one-way street and hit a red light, and want to make a left turn onto another one-way street. You can legally do it. You can certainly do this in Illinois according to the Get Jerry website. However, that's not the case in the State of Missouri.
From the information I found online it's not permitted anytime. According to the Get Jerry website, "Missouri does not permit turning left on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street. In this circumstance, drivers are expected to wait at the intersection until the light turns green before proceeding."
Of course, I'm always skeptical of information on websites that are trying to sell me something. And Get Jerry is trying to sell insurance, so I was skeptical that it's the latest information.
So I looked to a more official source, the Missouri Driver Guide. The March 2022 online version I found from the Department of Revenue didn't specifically address the issue. But the absence of saying you can do it means you can't. I then went and looked at the law on the Law Server website. It also doesn't specifically address any instances where a left-on-red would be permitted, so yeah, it's illegal.
While I'm not surprised it's not specifically addressed in Missouri Laws 304.281 rules for traffic where controlled by light signals. I am surprised it isn't more specifically addressed in the Missouri Driver Guide since many states do allow left turns on red in some limited circumstances, and the driver guide is how many new residents will familiarize themselves with our traffic laws.
The bottom line is, don't ever make a left turn on red in Missouri. As of this writing in May 2022, it's illegal.