DMV Point System in Alaska
Driving can be a liberating activity—but just like every freedom, it comes with responsibility.
Certain moving violations in Alaska will not only get you a traffic ticket, but will also leave points on your license. Gain too many, and you could be out of the driving game for a long time.
Read below for more information on how points are distributed in Alaska and how they could affect your driving ability in the Last Frontier State.
Alaska Point System Basics
When it comes to getting points for something, more usually means better. When it comes to your driving record, however, the opposite is true.
Each time you're convicted of or plead guilty to a moving citation in Alaska, points will be added to your record. Just how many depends on the severity of the violation, but you can count on anywhere from 2 points to 10 points for a given ticket.
Specifically, Alaska's Division of Motor Vehicles will suspend your license if you acquire:
- 12 points in 12 months.
- 18 points in 24 months.
You could also be required to take a defensive driving course (DDC) if you hold an AK permit or provisional license and accumulate at least:
- 6 points within 12 months.
- 9 points within 24 months.
The Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles will notify you when you're halfway toward a punishable point total. You may be advised of how to curb any bad driving habits or asked to appear before a DMV Hearing Officer to discuss your driving behavior.
Once you reach the limit, however, you will NOT be granted a limited “work purpose" license. The suspension is total.
Remember: Too many points can also have a toxic effect on your auto insurance.
NOTE: Commercial vehicle drivers may face additional penalties for points on their Alaska license. See our guide to Suspended CDLs for more.
Worried about your current auto insurance rate? It will likely change if you get too many points on your license.
Find out more about how your insurance rate works in relation to traffic tickets.
AK Point System Schedule
You can expect anywhere from 2 points to 10 points to be added to your license for each moving citation you're convicted of in Alaska. The more serious the violation, the more points you'll get.
Below are some of the most common point-carrying traffic tickets in Alaska. If you don't see your violation, check your traffic ticket for a specific point total, or find the full list of violations included in the AK driver's manual.
- Speeding 3 to 9 MPH over the limit: 2 points.
- Speeding 10 to 19 MPH over the limit: 4 points.
- Following a car too closely: 4 points.
- Not stopping or yielding: 4 points.
- Not stopping or yielding for an emergency vehicle: 6 points.
- Not stopping for a school bus: 6 points.
- Driving while uninsured: 6 points.
- Speeding 20 MPH or faster over the posted limit: 6 points.
- Driving under the influence/while intoxicated: 10 points.
- Fleeing from an officer: 10 points.
- Participating in a street race: 10 points.
- Vehicular manslaughter: 10 points.
Reducing Ticket Points
There are a few ways you can get rid of unwanted points from your Alaska driving record.
The easiest way is to consistently be a good driver. The AK DMV will remove the following points for going certain periods of time without an incident:
- 2 points removed from your record:
- Every 12 months you go without getting a new violation.
- Time period starts from date of your last conviction.
- 1 point removed from your record:
- Every 12 months you have gone incident-free since receiving your last violation.
- Going back 5 years from your last violation.
You can also be more proactive about getting points removed from your record by attending a defensive driving course.
The state will remove 2 points from your record for each successful course completion. You'll only be able to use this avenue once every 12 months.