The law requires headlights starting 30 minutes after the sun sets and ending 30 minutes before it rises, which means that in the morning you can turn them off when sunrise is half an hour away. Leave them on longer when rain, fog, or snow limits visibility.
In heavy traffic, the safest speed is usually the one the surrounding traffic is already driving, even when the posted limit is higher. Driving well above or below the speed of nearby vehicles raises the risk of a crash.
Most states require a parallel-parked car to have its wheels within 12 inches of the curb, and some allow up to 18, so staying within 12 inches keeps you legal in either case. A wider gap leaves the car sticking out into the travel lane, where it becomes a hazard to passing traffic.
Tip A gap of roughly 6 to 12 inches keeps you within the limit while protecting your tires from the curb.
Cutting through a parking lot, gas station or other property to dodge a traffic control device is against the law. The only exception is when a police officer instructs you to do it, because an officer's directions take priority over signs and signals.
Passing must always be done on the paved, main part of the road. Pulling onto the shoulder or dirt edge to get by is never allowed, even next to a vehicle that is turning left.
Before you back up, change lanes or brake suddenly, check the traffic behind you with your mirrors and by turning your head. Look over your shoulder through the rear window when backing, and check your blind spot before moving into another lane. These are the moments when a collision with someone behind you is most likely: backing takes you toward whatever is back there, and if you change lanes or brake hard, a vehicle coming up behind you may have no room to avoid you.
Alaska law requires headlights to be turned on beginning 30 minutes after the sun sets and to stay on until 30 minutes before it rises, as well as whenever conditions, like the fog in the picture, reduce your clear visibility to under 1,000 feet.
Without a sign showing otherwise, residential districts carry a 25 mph limit. Homes along the street mean children, walkers and bike riders may appear suddenly, so keep your speed down and stay ready to brake.
Blinking your brake lights or turning on the hazard flashers lets the people behind you know early that traffic is stopping for a crash ahead, which gives them room to slow down. These signals warn of danger or an unexpected slowdown; they are not a way to thank another driver or something to use while reversing out of a parking spot.
Tip Hazard flashers are for warning others of a sudden danger, not for excusing double-parking or for ordinary driving.
Set the front wheels so that the curb would stop the car if it started to roll: angle them toward the curb if the car points downhill and away from it if the car points uphill. Apply the parking brake every time.
Tip Downhill means wheels toward the curb; uphill with a curb means wheels away from it.
Alaska's manual teaches the four-second rule for normal conditions and calls for six seconds or more on wet roads or when towing. State regulation 13 AAC 02.090 also sets a legal minimum of two seconds, so a gap of a second or less is too short.
As soon as you hear a siren or notice red or blue lights flashing, give the emergency vehicle the right-of-way by moving to the right edge of the road and stopping until it goes by. You must do this no matter what other drivers are doing.
In the United States, traffic in a roundabout flows counterclockwise, so you travel to the right with the central island on your left. Vehicles already circulating have the right-of-way, so slow down and wait for a gap before entering, then signal as you exit.
Headlights are required whenever poor light or bad weather keeps you from seeing people and vehicles 1,000 feet ahead. Using them then helps you see the road and helps other drivers see you.
A right turn is shown by hand with the left arm held out and bent at the elbow, forearm raised straight up. An arm held fully straight out means a left turn, while a forearm angled downward tells others you are slowing or stopping.
Each of these lowers the force of the crash: objects that give way absorb energy, a stationary object adds no speed of its own, and a glancing blow transfers less force than a head-on hit. If a collision is likely, brake hard and steer toward the least harmful option.
No one number is safe in every situation. Choose your speed based on the weather, the road surface, how far you can see and how heavy traffic is, and remember that driving under the limit can still be too fast in poor conditions.
As the diagram shows, mirrors leave blind spots beside and just behind your car, so after signaling and checking the mirrors you still need a quick look over your shoulder. Relying on only one kind of check can hide a vehicle in the next lane.
With no signs or signals, you yield to a vehicle coming from your right, and a vehicle turning left yields to traffic approaching from straight ahead. No one is to the right of the yellow car, so it goes first; the blue car, with the yellow car on its right, goes second; the truck, which is turning left, waits until last.
Flashing red lights mean children are getting on or off the bus, so you must stop 30 feet or more from the bus and remain there until the lights go off and the bus moves on. Stopping right behind it would make it hard to see children walking near the bus.
High speeds and heavy traffic on major highways leave little time to respond, so you need to stay focused, scan the road and mirrors continually, and be ready for hazards such as stalled vehicles, debris, or sudden slowdowns.
Headphones covering both ears block out sirens, horns and other warning sounds, which is why driving with them on is prohibited in California and several other states. Adjusting mirrors while moving or letting a pet roam the car can be distracting, but neither is covered by that ban.
Headlights must be on at night, which many states take to mean the time starting 30 minutes after the sun sets and ending 30 minutes before it rises, and also whenever rain, fog, or other bad weather makes seeing difficult. They light the road ahead and help other drivers notice your vehicle.
Wet or icy pavement gives the tires less grip, so any slowing should be done before a curve or intersection, not in the middle of it. Likewise, shift into a lower gear before a steep downhill begins rather than after you are already descending.
Stopping distance is the ground you cover while reacting plus the distance needed to brake, so it changes with your speed, reaction time, the road surface, your tires and your brakes. The hour on the clock does not change how your brakes and tires work, although darkness may call for a slower speed.
Emergency vehicles may stop or turn without warning, and others may be following, so the law requires you to stay back at least 500 feet once one has passed. Trailing it closely is dangerous, and after it goes by you may resume normal driving while keeping that distance.
Everyone riding in the vehicle, the driver and each passenger in any seat, has to buckle up on every trip, however short. A seat belt is the best protection against being thrown around inside the vehicle or out of it in a crash.
Without working wipers you cannot see through the windshield, so open your window and look out as needed while you brake, slow down, and get off the roadway. Turn on your hazard flashers and stay put until the wipers are repaired or the weather clears.
If a school bus stops on a two-lane road with its red lights flashing, traffic approaching from either direction has to stop and stay put until the lights go off and the bus moves on. Simply slowing down is not sufficient, including when the bus is on the opposite side of the road.
Tip Drivers on the far side of a highway split by a physical divider, such as a raised median, are not required to stop.
A stop sign, a red signal, and a stop order from an officer directing traffic each require a full stop. The same duty applies in other cases too, such as a school bus with flashing red lights or a train approaching a railroad crossing.
Tight or curving roads, intersections, railroad crossings, and wet or slippery pavement all leave less room for error. A lower speed buys you reaction time and cuts the distance you need to stop.
Water on the pavement cuts tire grip, so your car needs more distance to stop than it does on a dry road. Opening up extra room ahead gives you time to react and brake gently if traffic in front slows suddenly.
Every question in this set has its own page with the correct answer and an explanation.
