Missouri Road Signs Cheat Sheet.

Everything below is testable on Missouri's 25-question written exam. Skim it the night before, and drill anything that does not read as obvious by now.

Test and Licensing Numbers

• Written test: 25 questions, 80 percent to pass, up to 5 misses allowed
• Instruction permit: available at age 15, 10 dollars total for the Class F permit
• Hold the permit at least 182 days before the intermediate license
• Log 40 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours at night
• Intermediate stage: no driving alone 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.; first 6 months, no more than one passenger under 19 who is not an immediate family member
• Skills test requires a minimum score of 70 percent
• Full license terms: 6 years for ages 21 to 69, 3 years for 18 to 20 and 70 or over

Sign Shapes

• Octagon: stop, always, even with the face covered by snow or dust
• Downward-pointing triangle: yield to the road you are entering
• Pentagon: school zone or school crossing ahead
• Circle: railroad crossing warning, posted well before the tracks
• Yellow diamond with black symbol: hazard warning, so slow down and scan

Sign Colors

• Orange: construction and maintenance work zones
• Blue: motorist services such as gas, food, and lodging
• Brown: recreational and cultural areas, from state parks to historic sites

Pavement Markings

• Yellow lines: traffic on the far side moves toward you
• White lines: lanes on both sides move your way
• Solid yellow on your side of the center: no passing for your direction
• Double solid yellow: passing barred from both directions
• Broken lines: crossing permitted when it is safe

Signals

• Steady yellow: red is coming; stop if you safely can
• Flashing red: a stop sign in light form; stop, then go when clear
• Flashing yellow: slow down and pass through with caution

Right-of-Way

• Four-way stop: first to arrive goes first; simultaneous arrivals yield to the right
• Left turn on a green ball: oncoming traffic goes first
• School bus with red lights and stop arm: both directions stop unless the highway is divided
• Emergency vehicle with lights and siren: pull to the right and stop
• Driveways, alleys, and ramps: entering traffic yields to the road
• Roundabouts: yield to vehicles already circulating

Speed and Conditions

• Posted limits assume good conditions; fog, rain, and gravel lawfully demand less
• Following gap: count three seconds when dry, and stretch it in weather
• Night ceiling: be able to stop within what your headlights reveal
• Bridges freeze first because cold air wraps both sides of the deck
• Skids: steer where you want to go and stay off hard braking

Alcohol and Drugs

• Adult per se limit 0.08; commercial vehicles 0.04
• Implied consent: refusing the chemical test means automatic suspension
• Only time lowers blood alcohol; coffee and cold showers change nothing
• Visible impairment below 0.08 can still bring an arrest
• Lawful prescriptions count as impairment when they dull you