Alaska Driver Manual: study guide

Key rules by chapter

A few of the rules from each chapter that come up in our practice questions:

1. Licenses, permits, provisional license, examinations, fees

• Non-residents 16+ with a valid license may drive, but must obtain an Alaska license by the end of a 90-day period after entry.
• Motorcycles and motor scooters with engines of less than 50cc can also be operated with a Class D license.
• If you are 14 or older, you may obtain an instruction permit, valid for two years.

2. Financial responsibility, crashes, points, suspensions/revocations

• The minimum coverage is $50,000/$100,000 for bodily injury or death and $25,000 for property damage.
• You must provide proof of insurance to DMV within 15 days, even if you didn't cause the crash.
• Your license will be suspended for 90 days for a first occurrence and 1 year for a second.

3. Implied consent, alcohol and drugs, ignition interlock

• Refusal results in two criminal charges, DUI and Refusal; it can be a misdemeanor or felony depending on priors.
• Refusal to submit to preliminary breath testing is an infraction.
• There is no limited work-purpose driving privilege for a person who refuses chemical testing.

4. Safety belts and child restraints, distracted driving

• The driver is responsible for all passengers under the age of 16; passengers 18 and older are cited themselves.
• A child under one year, or one year or older weighing under 20 pounds, must be in a rear-facing child safety seat.
• Children over 4 and under 8, under 57 inches and 20-65 pounds, must use a booster seat or other approved system.

5. Control of vehicle, following, speed laws, signaling, turns, intersections, roundabouts, passing

• Don't depend on mirrors; turn and look out the rear window, back slowly, and keep speed at or below 5 mph.
• AS 28.35.140 requires drivers on a two-lane road outside urban areas to safely pull over when five or more vehicles are behind.
• Towing more than one vehicle requires a towing vehicle over 15,000 pounds with three or more axles and air brakes on all vehicles.

6. Signs, work areas

• Reduce speed to 20 as marked for school crosswalks.
• Regulatory signs are black or red on white and give instructions that must be obeyed.
• The stop sign is white on red.

7. Sharing the roadway (pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles), school buses, slow-moving vehicles

• The same four-second following distance should be given to motorcyclists as to other vehicles.
• The SMV emblem is required on all slow-moving vehicles (25 mph or less).
• During daylight the fluorescent orange triangle is visible at distances exceeding one-fifth mile.

8. Traffic signals, pedestrian and lane-control signals, pavement markings

• Do not pass to the right or left of a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk to let a pedestrian cross.
• Don't make the movement indicated; no turns until the arrow changes to green or flashing yellow.
• The intersection is uncontrolled: stop, yield to traffic on your right, proceed carefully and report it to police.

9. Railroad crossings, night driving & lighting, major roads/highways, weather, animals, skids

• Be aware of a truck's deaf spot: a partial vacuum often prevents truck drivers from hearing your horn.
• Be prepared to stop if a train is within 1500 feet of the crossing; you must stop even if the crossing is unmarked.
• You may only have 20 seconds to escape; twenty seconds is the minimum time for a train to reach the crossing once the lights activate.

10. Parking, emergency vehicles, law enforcement stops, emergencies, equipment, carbon monoxide, large trucks, flooding

• Don't turn around near a curve or hill when you can't see 500 feet or more in each direction.
• Yield to an emergency vehicle displaying flashing red and/or blue lights whether or not a siren is in operation.
• A vehicle may not follow an emergency vehicle responding to an emergency closer than 500 feet.

11. Smart/eco driving, maintenance, litter, office locations

• It takes about three-quarters of a second to react; at 50 mph you travel another 55 feet in that time.
• Tires must have at least 2/32 inch of tread; if you can see the top of Lincoln's head in the penny test, the tires are worn out.
• Never pump the brakes if your vehicle has antilock brakes.

How to study the handbook

Read one chapter, then take a practice test. Every answer explanation names the handbook section it comes from, so when you get one wrong, go back to that section. Pay most attention to exact numbers and to the rules specific to Alaska, which are where most people lose points.