Night driving, lighting, weather and animals

Key points

1. Headlights must be on from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise.

   Source: Handbook p. 55

   “Headlights must be turned on from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise.”
   Alaska Driver Manual, Handbook p. 55

2. Use headlights in daytime when fog, rain, snow, smoke or dust cuts visibility to 1000 feet or less.

   Source: Handbook p. 55

   “Headlights must be turned on in daytime when visibility is reduced to 1000 feet or less by fog, rain, snow, smoke, or dust.”
   Alaska Driver Manual, Handbook p. 55

3. Dim to low beams 500 feet or more from an oncoming vehicle and 300 feet from one ahead of you.

   Source: Handbook p. 55

   “Change headlights to low beam (dim) 500 feet or more from oncoming vehicle. 4. Change headlights to low beam (dim) 300 feet or more from vehicle going in the same direction.”
   Alaska Driver Manual, Handbook p. 55

4. Never drive with only parking lights on.

   Source: Handbook p. 55

   “Do not use only parking lights, day, or night, when vehicle is in motion.”
   Alaska Driver Manual, Handbook p. 55

5. The first half hour after rain often makes hard roads slippery.

   Source: Handbook p. 59

   “The first half hour after a rain often makes hard surface roads slippery.”
   Alaska Driver Manual, Handbook p. 59

6. Shaded areas and bridges become slippery first and stay slippery longer.

   Source: Handbook p. 61

   “Shaded areas, protected areas, and bridges become slippery before the balance of the road surface and stay so longer.”
   Alaska Driver Manual, Handbook p. 61

7. Most vehicle moose crashes occur at dawn and dusk.

   Source: Handbook p. 60

   “most vehicle-moose accidents occur at dawn and dusk when light is low and moose are most active.”
   Alaska Driver Manual, Handbook p. 60

8. If an animal runs in front of you, brake firmly but do not swerve.

   Source: Handbook p. 60

   “If an animal does run in front of your vehicle, brake firmly but do not swerve.”
   Alaska Driver Manual, Handbook p. 60

9. If you kill or injure a big game animal, notify a State Trooper or Fish and Wildlife officer.

   Source: Handbook p. 60

   “If, following a vehicle collision, you kill or injure a big game animal, you must notify a State Trooper or a Fish & Wildlife Officer as soon as possible.”
   Alaska Driver Manual, Handbook p. 60

10. When drowsy, take a break and get out of the vehicle every 100 miles.

    Source: Handbook p. 56

    “Take a break and get out from the vehicle every 100 miles.”
    Alaska Driver Manual, Handbook p. 56

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Alaska practice test

1. 1. When must headlights be on in Alaska between sunset and sunrise?

   1. Only after full darkness
   2. From one half hour after sunset to one half hour before sunrise
   3. From sunset to sunrise exactly
   4. From 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
   Show answer

   From one half hour after sunset to one half hour before sunrise. Headlights must be turned on from one half hour after sunset to one half hour before sunrise, and in daytime whenever visibility is reduced to 1,000 feet or less by fog, rain, snow, smoke or dust. Change to low beam 300 feet or more behind a vehicle going the same direction and when meeting oncoming traffic. The fatal crash rate at night is higher per mile than by day.

2. 2. At what distance behind a vehicle going the same direction must an Alaska driver switch to low beams?

   1. Only when passing
   2. 50 feet
   3. 1,000 feet
   4. 300 feet or more
   Show answer

   300 feet or more. Change headlights to low beam when 300 feet or more from a vehicle going in the same direction, so the glare does not fill the other driver's mirrors, and dim for oncoming traffic as well. Headlights are required from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise and whenever daytime visibility drops to 1,000 feet or less.

3. 3. What should an Alaska driver do when an animal is walking on or along the highway?

   1. Swerve toward the animal to make it leave
   2. Honk continuously and maintain speed
   3. Exercise care, slow when circumstances require, and be able to stop
   4. Assume the animal will yield because it is off the pavement
   Show answer

   Exercise care, slow when circumstances require, and be able to stop. Alaska requires drivers to exercise care around animals, slow when circumstances require, and remain able to stop if necessary. An animal or its handler may move unpredictably, so maintaining speed or swerving toward it can create a collision. Reduce speed early, scan both the roadway and shoulder, and leave room for movement before passing. The important cue is the possibility that the animal may enter the vehicle's path, not whether its feet are currently on the pavement. A controlled stop is safer than a sudden swerve.

Source: the Alaska Driver Manual, Night Driving, Weather and Emergencies. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.