Other Laws Related to Driving

Other Laws Related to Driving

An empty road

Yes. Alaska law requires everyone in the vehicle to use a seat belt.

It is against the law to drive with a visual screen device in operation.  This includes a computer, a DVD player, or a smart phone playing a video or using a map app.  You can answer your smart phone and talk, but you cannot text while driving.

Reckless driving means driving in a way that creates a substantial and unjustifiable risk of harm to a person or to property.  Another definition is willfully disregarding the safety of persons or property while you are driving.

If you are convicted of reckless driving, your driver’s license will be revoked, and you could go to jail or pay a fine.

Littering means throwing or discarding waste material on private or public property or water.  Driving with an unsecured load is a kind of littering that means driving or moving a vehicle on a public highway or right-of-way when it is not constructed, loaded, or covered to prevent its load from dropping, leaking, or otherwise escaping from the vehicle.  Both these actions are against the law in Alaska.  The penalty for littering in Alaska is a fine of up to $1000.  A person who litters or allows unsecured materials to escape from a vehicle can also be sentenced to clean up litter for a period of time.

If you are under 21, it is against the law for you to consume alcohol.  If you are under 21 and you consume alcohol and then operate a vehicle, you can be arrested or cited for the offense of a minor operating after consuming alcohol.  If you refuse a chemical breath test, or if your breath test shows any quantity of alcohol, your driver’s license or permit to drive will be revoked.

If you operate a vehicle and have a breath or blood alcohol concentration of .08 or more, you are presumed to be driving under the influence (DUI).  If you drive in Alaska, you have consented to a chemical test of your breath to determine the alcohol concentration of your blood or breath.  You are also DUI if you are under the influence of a controlled substances or inhalant.  The DMV will revoke your driver’s license or privilege to drive or obtain a license.

You can read more about the crimes of DUI, breath test refusal, and other alcohol-related crimes in Sections 1 and 2 of this Guide.