Alaska Driving Laws 2026: Speed Limits, DUI Rules and Road Rules for the Written Test

What speed limits apply in Alaska when no sign is posted? Alaska’s default limits are 15 mph in alleys, 20 mph in business districts, 25 mph in residential districts, and 55 mph on other roadways unless another limit is posted. The knowledge test is based on the Alaska Driver Manual, which covers rules such as the four-second following-distance recommendation, school-bus stopping requirements, headlight use, and the 0.08% BAC threshold for drivers age 21 and older.

1. Speed Limits in Alaska

Alaska sets default speed limits by location type, no posted sign required for them to apply. Whether you are navigating a Juneau alley or a Kenai Peninsula highway, these statutory caps are the law under favorable conditions:

Key exam numbers to memorize: 15 mph in alleys, 20 mph in business districts and when passing a posted marked public school or playground crosswalk, 25 mph in residential districts, 55 mph on all other roads unless posted otherwise. Suspension thresholds: 12 points in 12 months OR 18 points in 24 months.

Key test point: Speed limits are maximums under favorable conditions. Alaskas Speed Limitation Law requires you to reduce speed for traffic, road surface, width, and weather. Never drive faster than you can stop within the assured clear distance ahead.

2. Right-of-Way: Who Goes First

Right-of-way is yielded, never seized. Alaskas knowledge test hits these scenarios repeatedly. Heres exactly who goes first in every common situation:

4-way stop (all arrive at once)

Driver to the right

4-way stop (one arrives first)

Driver who arrived first

Roundabout / traffic circle

Vehicles already inside the circle

Emergency vehicles (lights/siren)

Emergency vehicle, pull to the right and stop

Pedestrians in crosswalk

Pedestrians always

T-intersection (no signs)

Through road traffic; drivers on the dead-end must yield

Yield sign

Cross traffic and pedestrians always

Merging onto a highway

Traffic already on the highway

3. Turns & Signal Laws

How far in advance must you signal a turn in Alaska, and when is a left turn on red actually legal? Alaska requires the turn signal continuously during the last 100 feet before the turn. After a full stop, a left turn on red is allowed only when the turn is otherwise lawful and the driver is not turning left onto a two-way street:

Right turn on red

Permitted after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it. Yield to pedestrians and cross traffic.

No right turn on red

When posted, you must wait for a green light before turning right.

Left turn on red

After a full stop, a left turn may be made from the lawful turn lane onto a one-way street unless a traffic-control device prohibits it; do not turn left onto a two-way street while facing a steady red signal.

Left turn from two-way street

Start from the left lane; end in the left lane of the cross street.

Right turn

Stay as close to the right curb as possible; end in the right lane.

U-turns

Permitted only when the turn can be made safely without interfering with traffic. In a business district, on a curve, or near the crest of a grade, do not make the turn where approaching drivers cannot see your vehicle within 500 feet.

4. Lane Rules & Line Markings

What does a solid yellow line on your side actually mean, and how is the center turn lane different from a passing lane? These line-marking rules show up on the Alaska knowledge test every time.

Center turn lane (CTSL)

Used only when preparing for or making a left turn into or from a roadway, or a permitted U-turn; not for through travel, accelerating, or passing.

Solid white line

A single solid white line separates lanes where lane changes are discouraged; a solid white edge line marks the edge of the roadway.

Solid yellow line (your side)

No passing allowed.

Broken yellow line

Passing allowed when safe.

Solid + Broken yellow centerline

Passing allowed only on the broken-line side.

5. Passing Another Vehicle

On Alaskas long stretches of two-lane highway, passing is common, and dangerous when done wrong. Heres when it is illegal and what distances you must respect:

• Only pass on the left, using the oncoming lane, when it is safe and legal.
• Do not drive left of center when approaching within 100 feet of or traversing an intersection or railroad crossing, within 300 feet of a bridge, viaduct, or tunnel when your view is obstructed, or within 500 feet of a crest or curve where the obstructed view creates a hazard. Look for the No Passing Zone pennant sign.
• The vehicle being passed must not speed up while you are overtaking.
• Return to your lane before coming within 200 feet of oncoming traffic.
• Never pass a stopped school bus with flashing red lights, this applies in both directions on undivided roads.
• You may pass on the right only when the movement can be made safely, including when the vehicle ahead is turning left, stopped, or disabled, or when the unobstructed roadway is wide enough for two or more lawful lanes moving in your direction.

6. Following Distance

Alaska roads can go from dry pavement to black ice without warning. The Alaska Driver Manual recommends the four-second rule under normal conditions. If you are towing a trailer or the roadway is wet or slippery, increase the interval to six seconds or more.

Alaska five-vehicle pull-over rule: On a two-lane roadway outside an urban area, pull off at the first safe opportunity when five or more vehicles are immediately following you.

7. School Buses & Emergency Vehicles

Do you have to stop for a school bus on a divided road in Alaska, and what does the Move Over law require? Failing either of these on the road, or on the test, has serious consequences.

School Buses

• When a school bus stops with flashing red lights and an extended stop arm, an approaching driver must stop at least 30 feet from the bus before reaching it.
• On a highway with separate roadways, a driver is not required to stop when meeting or passing a school bus that is on a different roadway. A center turn lane does not create a separate roadway.
• If opposing traffic is on the same roadway as the stopped bus, drivers approaching from either direction must stop. When passing a school bus displaying alternately flashing yellow lights, do not exceed 20 mph.
• You must remain stopped until the school bus proceeds and the flashing red lights are no longer illuminated.
• Failure to stop for a school bus while loading or unloading: 6 points on your Alaska driving record.
• Railroad crossings: School buses are among the vehicles required to stop at railroad grade crossings, except where traffic is directed to proceed by a police officer, authorized flagman, or official traffic-control device.

Emergency Vehicles

• When you see or hear an emergency vehicle (police, fire, ambulance) with lights or siren: pull to the right edge of the road and stop. Do not block intersections.
• Move Over Law (Alaska AS 28.35.185): When approaching a stationary vehicle covered by the law and displaying the required flashing lights, move out of the lane closest to it on a roadway with two or more lanes traveling in your direction when the lane change can be made safely. Otherwise, slow to a reasonable and prudent speed for the traffic, roadway, and weather conditions.

8. DUI Laws & BAC Limits in Alaska

Alaska’s DUI laws include separate administrative and court consequences. Under the implied consent law, refusal to provide a breath sample after a lawful DUI arrest can result in a separate refusal charge and administrative license revocation.

9. Seat Belts & Child Seats

Alaska law is clear: every occupant in a motor vehicle must be buckled. The driver is responsible for anyone under 16, regardless of where they are sitting.

10. Where You Cannot Park

How close can you park to a fire hydrant in Alaska, and what is the rule for your wheels on a hill? The specific distances below are tested on the DMV knowledge exam. You cannot park:

• Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
• Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection
• Within 30 feet of a stop sign, yield sign, or traffic signal
• Within 50 feet of a railroad crossing
• On a sidewalk, in front of a driveway, or on a bridge
• In a no-parking zone or alongside a curb painted yellow or red
• Double parking (alongside a vehicle already parked at the curb)
• Headed downhill: turn wheels toward the curb. Headed uphill with a curb: turn wheels away from curb. Uphill without a curb: turn wheels toward the shoulder.

11. Driving in Bad Weather

Alaska winters are no joke, snow and ice routinely extend stopping distances by three to twelve times. Fairbanks sees extreme cold; Southcentral gets heavy snowfall; coastal areas deal with fog and rain year-round.

• Headlights required in Alaska when visibility is reduced to 1,000 feet or less by fog, rain, snow, smoke, or dust, even during daytime.
• In heavy fog, use low beams, high beams reflect off fog and reduce visibility.
• If you start to hydroplane, ease off the gas gently. Do not brake hard or turn sharply.
• In icy conditions, brake gently well in advance. On snow or ice it takes three to twelve times as much distance to stop as on dry pavement.
• If your car goes into a skid, steer in the direction you want the front of the car to go. Do not overcorrect.
• Never use cruise control on wet, icy, or slippery roads.

12. Points & License Suspensions

Alaskas point system targets problem drivers before they cause crashes. Points range from 2 to 10 per violation. Hit the threshold and your license is gone, no work-purpose exceptions.

Note: A Defensive Driver Course (DDC) may be completed once every 12 months for a point reduction credit.

13. Headlight Rules

Alaskas long winters mean extended darkness, the dimming thresholds are exact numbers the DMV tests on. Get the oncoming vs. following distances right:

Key test point: Oncoming = dim at 500 feet. Following = dim at 300 feet. Classic Alaska exam question, do not mix them up.

14. Night Driving

In Alaska, nighttime driving means more than turning on your headlights. Glare recovery from oncoming vehicles can leave you temporarily blind. Moose, caribou, and bears cross highways regularly, especially at dawn and dusk.

15. Cell Phones & Distracted Driving

Alaska prohibits texting while driving, and the DMV handbook is explicit: when you use a cell phone while driving, your number one responsibility is still the road.

Key test point: The Alaska DMV handbook is direct, your No. 1 responsibility when behind the wheel is driving. Distracted driving is a leading cause of crashes statewide.

16. Railroad Crossings

Alaskas rail network crosses public roads at hundreds of locations. A train at speed cannot stop in under a mile. Heres exactly what Alaska law requires at every crossing:

Key test point: Never drive around or under a lowered crossing gate, it is illegal and extremely dangerous. Wait until gates are fully raised and all tracks are clear.

17. How to Drive a Roundabout

Roundabouts are growing across Alaskas urban corridors, Anchorage in particular has added them to improve flow. The single rule that trips up most test-takers: entering drivers always yield to those already inside.

Key test point: The most common wrong answer on roundabout questions is thinking you have right-of-way when entering. You never do, yield to traffic already inside.