Alaska · Handbook chapter 9 · 7 min read

Chapter 9: Night, weather, emergencies and parking

Alaska's headlight rules, highway driving, winter weather, skids, moose and other animals, floods, vehicle emergencies, required equipment, carbon monoxide and parking rules.

Why this chapter matters

Alaska drivers face long nights, ice, snow and moose, and the test asks about all of them. Learn the headlight distances (half an hour, 1000 feet, 500 feet, 300 feet), the parking distances (15, 20, 30, 50 and 500 feet and 12 inches) and what to do in a skid or a blowout.

Night driving

The fatal crash rate per mile is higher at night because you cannot see as far, as soon or as much.

• Glare recovery: after oncoming headlights pass, your eyes take time to adjust, and during that time you are nearly driving blind. It is often worse for older drivers.
• Keep headlights working and clean, and keep the windshield clean.
• Do not look straight into oncoming headlights; glance at the right edge of the road and your lane position.
• Wear sunglasses in bright sun to protect your night vision, but never at night.
• Tinted windshields and front windows reduce night vision; tint must meet 13 AAC 04.223.
• Do not use lights marked for off-road use on the road.

Headlight law

1. Headlights on from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise.
2. Headlights on in daytime when fog, rain, snow, smoke or dust cut visibility to 1000 feet or less.
3. Dim to low beams 500 feet or more from an oncoming vehicle.
4. Dim to low beams 300 feet or more behind a vehicle going the same direction.
5. Never drive with only parking lights on.

Use low beams in rain, fog, snow or dust.

Highway driving

• Check oil, water, hoses and belts often; high speed makes heat, and blowouts are common in crashes.
• If your vehicle breaks down, get all wheels off the road if possible, raise the hood or tie a white cloth to the left door handle or antenna, and use your hazard lights.
• Drowsiness is the first step to falling asleep. Keep the car cool, move your eyes, and take a break every 100 miles.
• Vary your speed now and then to prevent road hypnosis.
• Check mirrors and look over your shoulder before changing lanes, and do not ride in another driver's blind spot.
• Do not speed up when being passed, and do not cut back in too soon.
• Entering a freeway: use the acceleration lane to reach traffic speed, and yield to freeway traffic.
• Leaving: move into the deceleration lane before slowing. If you miss your exit, go on to the next one; never back up.
• Parking on the pavement, shoulder or right-of-way of a freeway is prohibited except in an emergency.

Weather

Rain, snow, ice and fog reduce both visibility and traction.

• The first half hour after rain starts is often the most slippery, because oil and dirt mix with the water.
• Keep wipers and washer fluid in good shape, and clean your lights often.
• Approach a stale green light slowly in bad weather.
• Bald tires give no directional control on wet roads.
• Keep the fuel tank full in cold weather to prevent condensation in the tank.

Skids

• Watch for skidding conditions, especially in freezing and thawing weather.
• Bridges, shaded and protected areas become slippery first and stay slippery longer.
• Avoid sudden changes of speed or direction, slow down well before stopping on ice or packed snow, and do not lock the wheels. Without ABS, pump the brakes lightly; with ABS, follow your vehicle manual.

To recover from a skid: stay calm, turn the front wheels in the direction of the skid, do not brake suddenly, do not oversteer, and brake very gently as control returns. Front-wheel and four-wheel drive vehicles need easy acceleration to pull out of a skid.

Animals

Moose, caribou, deer, sheep, bears and mountain goats are common on Alaska roads.

• Take care at dawn and dusk, when moose are most active and hardest to see.
• Slow down at night, and use high beams when you can.
• Animals often travel in groups; if one crosses, expect more.
• Flash your lights to warn other drivers of animals near the road, and watch for cars stopping suddenly to view wildlife.
• Do not rely on deer whistles or similar devices.
• If an animal runs in front of you, brake firmly but do not swerve. Swerving can lead to a crash with another vehicle, a pedestrian or a tree or pole.
• Big game killed or injured in a collision belongs to the state. Notify a State Trooper or Fish and Wildlife officer as soon as possible.

Flooding

Never drive through a flooded road; turn around. Six inches of water reaches the bottom of most cars and can cause stalling or loss of control, and two feet of moving water can carry away most vehicles, including SUVs and pickups. Water can also hide a washed-out road.

Vehicle emergencies

Coasting downhill in neutral or with the clutch down is prohibited.

Required equipment

Your vehicle must have working seat belts, two headlights, two red taillights, two brake lights, a plate light visible from 50 feet, turn signals, a foot brake that stops the car within 25 feet from 20 mph, a parking brake that holds on any grade, a single rear plate with current tabs, a safety glass windshield with wipers and a defroster, a horn heard from 200 feet, the required mirrors, mud flaps or fenders, and a working muffler. Use the horn only when needed for safety.

Suggested winter gear includes jumper cables, flares, a flashlight, an ice scraper and brush, snow tires or chains, a tow chain and an emergency kit with warm clothes, a blanket, sand, a shovel and food.

Carbon monoxide

Exhaust contains carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless poison. Symptoms include headache, dizziness and nausea. Never run a vehicle in a closed garage, keep the exhaust system tight, and do not sit in a parked car with the engine and heater running and the windows closed.

Parking

• Outside city limits, get all four wheels off the pavement if possible, and leave parking lights or low beams on at night unless you are 8 feet from the pavement edge.
• No parking zones are usually marked by signs or yellow or red curbs. Double parking is illegal.
• Remove the key or fob from an unattended vehicle.
• Downhill: wheels toward the curb. Uphill: wheels away from the curb.
• Parallel park with your wheels within 12 inches of the curb.
• The driver leaving a parking space has the chief responsibility for avoiding a collision: look, signal and yield.

Littering and loads

Traveling with an unsecured load is illegal, and littering can bring a fine of up to $1000, up to 90 days in jail and court-ordered litter pickup.