Driver's training, in Alaska as well as in other states, is not a formal classroom program, but a hands-on, behind-the-wheel course, meant to teach new drivers how to handle a motor vehicle and how to understand the rules of the road.

Driver's Education

Driver training, education, and defensive driving courses are available to anyone age 14 or older who wants to obtain his or her first driver's license, or for those who just want to brush up on basic skills.

Driver's Training

Driver training is an excellent way to get to know how to drive a vehicle, to become familiar with the road, and to drive safely and within the traffic laws. Most full driver's training courses consist of both classroom and on-road lessons.

Traffic School

Traffic school is offered to certain drivers who have received tickets or citations for traffic violations. In some cases, attending traffic school can keep an offense off of your driving record and keep you from earning points.

What to Expect

These are some of the skills you will learn while you are taking a formal driver's training course. In Alaska, you must practice driving with your learner's permit for six months before you will be allowed to apply for a driver's license. If you are not taking a formal course, you can use this list as a reference for you and your supervising driver:

• Starting the vehicle

• Starting on a hill

• Using the brake and accelerator

• Parallel parking

• Hill parking

• Left and right turns

• Backing up

• Intersection negotiation

• Traffic lights and signals

• Lane changing

• Pedestrian and vehicle right-of-way

• Using automatic or standard transmission

While it looks like you could complete these skills long before your six months are up, it takes a while to perfect them. The more you practice, the better and more confident a driver you will become.

Challenging Conditions

When you return to the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) with your proof of training hours (if you are younger than 18), you must show that you have completed 55 hours driving time, with 10 of those hours being under challenging conditions. These conditions are described as being either night driving or driving in inclement weather.

Of course, Alaska roads offer their own challenging conditions no matter what time of year―weather, moose, bear, mud, ice, and rain being relatively commonplace in certain areas, not to mention all the hours of opportunity you'll have for perfecting your night driving in the winter!

If possible, spread your driver's training hours over a season or two in order to experience these different conditions. Perhaps you can begin training in the late spring or early summer, when the roads are clear and dry. That way, you can gradually ease into the rain, snow and ice of autumn and winter.

Driving School Locations

Here are some websites and phone numbers for driving schools in Alaska:

Anchorage

• AA Drivers Educational School: (907) 562-9821

• American Association of Retired Persons: (907) 333-4063

• Anchorage Driver Training: (907) 349-9008

• Center for Employment Education: (907) 279-8451

Fairbanks

• Alaska Peace Officers Association: (907) 455-8835

• American Association of Retired Persons: (907) 479-0241

• Cherokee Riders: (907) 455-0010

• Center for Employment Education: (907) 479-8451

Juneau

• American Association of Retired Persons: (907) 586-2493

Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak, and Seldovia

• Manny's Driver Education: (907) 283-9518

• Peninsula Driving Academy: (907) 262-0891

• American Association of Retired Persons: (907) 260-3966

Ketchikan

• Alaska Driving Instruction: (907) 247-1421

Mat-Su Valley

• American Association of Retired Persons: (907) 376-0397

• Northern Industrial Training (NIT): (907) 357-6400

Petersburg

• Petersburg Community School (no classes in summer months): (907) 772-3980

Internet Courses

If you live in a remote part of Alaska or if attending a driving class in person is not an option for you, you can elect to take an Internet-based driving class.

Before you enroll into an Internet driving course, be sure that the course is approved by the Alaska DMV.

Internet Courses in Alaska

Here is a list of Internet courses available in Alaska:

• AlaskaDriver.com (888) 714-7425

• DrivingUniversity.com (877) 937-4846

• I Drive Safely (800) 723-1955

• TrafficSchoolOnline (800) 800-3579

• Go To Traffic School (888) 329-7069

More Information

For more information on driving schools, contact your local DMV office.

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