Alaska permit test: following distance & space
Following-distance rules, stopping distance and keeping a space cushion. 5 questions.
What following-distance method does the Alaska Driver Manual recommend?
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Sample following distance & space questions
What following-distance method does the Alaska Driver Manual recommend?
- A The one-second rule
- B One car length for every 10 mph
- C The three-second rule
- D The four-second rule
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D. The four-second rule
Watch the vehicle ahead pass a fixed point and count four seconds. If you reach the point before you finish, you are too close. The manual also suggests using it at night so you do not overdrive your headlights.
View diagram
What is the minimum following distance required by Alaska regulation 13 AAC 02.090?
- A 4 seconds
- B 2 seconds
- C 3 seconds
- D 6 seconds
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B. 2 seconds
The manual recommends four seconds, but the regulation requires at least a two-second following distance. Treat two seconds as the bare legal minimum and leave more whenever you can.
You are towing a trailer on a wet road. How much following distance does the manual suggest?
- A Six seconds or more
- B Two seconds
- C Four seconds
- D Three seconds
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A. Six seconds or more
When towing a trailer or when the road is wet or slippery, increase the four-second gap to six seconds or more. Extra weight and poor traction both lengthen your stopping distance.
At 50 mph, about how far does your car travel during the three-quarters of a second it takes to react and step on the brake?
- A 55 feet
- B 15 feet
- C 160 feet
- D 100 feet
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A. 55 feet
At 50 mph, your vehicle travels about 55 feet before your foot even reaches the brake, and then another 160 feet or more while braking. This is why you need a large space cushion.