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Legal requirements to drive with a permit in Alaska
Restrictions when driving with a permit in Alaska
Final word
 

Legal requirements to drive with a permit in Alaska

If one of your children wants to drive in Alaska with a permit there are a few requirements to be aware of first. In Alaska, someone can earn their “instruction permit” at age fourteen or older. You also must only drive with an Alaskan permit, permits from any other states will not allow you to drive legally in Alaska.

In order to get your permit in Alaska, you will need to pass a vision test as well as a written exam. There will not be a practical driving exam until you are testing for your provisional license. When you go to get your permit, you will need to bring some documents as well as pay a fee. The fee will be fifteen dollars as of August 2021. The documents that you will need are the application, the parental consent form and legal documents that prove your name, birthday, address and social security number.
 

Restrictions when driving with a permit in Alaska

When you get your learner’s permit and are under the age of eighteen, you will only be allowed to drive with another licensed driver in your car who is age twenty-one or older who has at least a year of driving experience under their belt. You must have your permit for six months without getting a ticket before you can apply for your provisional license. If you get a ticket, you will need to wait another six months before you can apply. Finally, within these six months, you must complete at least forty hours of driving with one of your parents where at least ten of those hours are completed at night.
 

Final word

Driving with a permit is an important part of the driving experience for a young driver. It will take effort, time, and practice once a driver has it in order to eventually earn their provisional license. It is critically important as well as a legal requirement that a driver with a permit only drive with another licensed driver in the car over the age of twenty-one who has had their license for at least a year. Finally, getting a ticket with your permit is a huge deal because it restarts the clock until you can apply for a provisional license.

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What child safety features come in most cars
What child safety features can you have added
Wrapping up
 

What child safety features come in most cars

There are a few standard safety features in most vehicles that work to protect child passengers the most. However, you will still be able to add more safety to your vehicle for any children riding in the car, so be sure to do so. The safety features that will be included with your car intended to help protect children are child safety locks, extra protection for the backseat passengers and rearview mirrors.

Child safety locks are the locks on the back doors that can be kept locked from the driver’s seat. This prevents the possibility of a child unlocking the door and opening it while the vehicle is in motion. Extra protection for backseat passengers which includes backseat airbags target the seats where children will be in your car. Your rearview mirror can give you quick glances at the kids in the backseat without you having to turn your head away from the road.
 

What child safety features can you have added

As we mentioned, you can also have several safety features added to most vehicles in the name of keeping the kids in your car as safe as possible. These features will include a backup camera, window tinting, car seats and collision warning.

Adding a backup camera to your car could help you see one of you children running out behind your car as you backup which can be a life and death situation. Getting your windows tinted can help keep your car cooler as well as protect your passengers from harmful UV rays which could be extra harmful for kids. Car seats are a must have if you are going to have small children in the car because typical seatbelts are far too large for them. Finally, with kids in your car, being distracted is much easier thus the potential for an accident could be greater. If you have collision detection, this potential will be considerably lower.
 

Wrapping up

Child safety is paramount whenever you are driving anywhere with kids in your car. The standard safety features in your vehicle will go a long way to keeping your kids safe but there is always more that you can do. This includes having upgraded safety features added to your car as well as driving as safely as possible at all times. Some of these upgraded safety features can include a backup camera, window tinting, car seats and collision warning.

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The worst roads in the country
How you can avoid the worst roads
Tips for driving on bad roads
Conclusion
 

The worst roads in the country

The worst roads are scattered all over the country from Alaska to Florida. The worst roads in the United States are:

• U.S. 1 in Florida – This road had over a thousand deaths in the past ten years. That is the most in the country. Drive slowly and stay aware of other drivers on this highway.
• U.S. 41 in Florida – This road, also in Florida, had over seven hundred deaths in a ten-year span. The amount of deaths has stayed consistent. Frequent construction on the road causes slowdowns that lead to accidents.
• Dalton Highway in Alaska – There have been many deaths on the Dalton highway but fewer than any highway on this list. Do not let that fool you though. That is only because there is much less traffic on the Dalton, thus there are considerably fewer deaths. The Dalton can get extremely dark and icy. To make things worse, help could take hours to get to you in case of an accident.
• Interstate 20 in Texas – With over three hundred and thirty deaths in ten years, Interstate 20 is the worst road in Texas and one of the worst in the entire country.
• Interstate 40 in Arizona – Interstate 40 had several hundred deaths over the decade span. Semi-frequent construction and speeding are the lead causes of accidents on this road.

How you can avoid the worst roads

There are several options for you to avoid these roads. All of them pretty much boil down to planning in the end. You can download an app like Waze and program it to avoid a certain road. You can also go on Google and pre-plan a route that skips a particular road.

Bear in mind that even though these roads have seen a high number of deaths, they are safe to drive on as long as you drive carefully and with awareness.
 

Tips for driving on bad roads

Sometimes you will not be able to avoid driving on a bad road. If that is the case, you should use the following tips and exercise extreme care when driving on those roads:

• Stay off the phone – Distracted driving is the easiest way to get into an accident. If you think you will be tempted to use your phone while you are driving because of incoming texts or calls, you should put your phone on do not disturb or shut it off completely.
• Always check your blind spot – Changing lanes without checking your blind spot is a quick way to get into an accident. Always take a quick peak over your shoulder before you merge in order to make sure no one is driving in your blind spot.
• Keep a safe distance – Tailgating serves no purpose. It often only ends up making a frustrating situation dangerous. If you feel someone is driving too slowly in front of you, you should safely go around them or take a deep breath and slow down a bit.
• Do not drive over the speed limit – Speeding is a contributing factor in almost one third of all accidents according to a recent study.
• Pay attention, especially to other drivers – Awareness is key when you are driving. Make sure that you focus on the road and that you do not drive under the influence of drugs and alcohol or while you are too tired.

Conclusion

If you can, try to avoid the most dangerous roads. They earned that name for a reason. However, if you drive with safety and awareness, traversing such roads should be no problem at all. You can skip driving altogether while you travel or move by shipping your car to your destination.

Why car safety is so important for you and your family

Car safety is extremely important when you are driving. Many people consider a car’s safety features the most important part of a vehicle, especially if they plan on driving with their families.

The statistics can be alarming. There are over five million car accidents in the United States each year, half of which are caused by overly aggressive drivers. Over two million people end up with permanent injuries from car accidents every year.

With statistics like those in mind, it would make a ton of sense to make sure that you choose one of the safest cars that you can find when you are shopping for a vehicle.
 

The list of the safest cars of the last few years

These were the safest cars on the market in the last few years:

1. 2020 Kia Optima – With the top spot on the list this year, the Kia Optima has no shortage of incredible safety features. It is equipped with a rearview camera, driver drowsiness monitoring, lane departure warning and much more. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration gave the car a five-star safety rating. The starting price is also very reasonable.
2. 2020 Toyota Camry – The Toyota Camry is second is the overall rankings but top of the mid-size rankings for the last few years. The features that the car offers are a rearview camera, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection and much more.
3. 2019 Honda Insight – With a five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, the Honda Insight is another very safe choice on the list. It includes a bunch of great safety features and scored well during all of its crash tests.
4. 2019 Subaru Legacy – The Subaru Legacy comes in a fourth with a variety of great features such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and lane keep assist. It also had a perfect safety score as well.
5. 2019 Hyundai Veloster – Another choice on the list with some incredible safety features, the Hyundai Veloster is a safe and affordable choice for you and your family as well.

Tips for safe driving

Use the following pointers to make sure that you are driving as safely as possible in order to avoid getting into any accidents:

• Do not follow too closely – “Tailgating” or following the car in front of you too closely is one of the leading causes for car accidents each year. When you follow someone too closely, you are not providing yourself with the proper amount of distance you need in order to stop or slow down in case the driver in front of you stops or slows down. This is a recipe for disaster, so do not do it.
• Obey the speed limit – This might seem obvious to some, but speeding is another leading cause of car accidents both nationally and globally. Speed limits are established in order to keep all drivers out on the road safe. So, do not be that one person who makes the roads unsafe for everyone else.
• Stay off the cell phone! – Cell phone use is the number one cause of distracted driving accidents on the planet.
• In bad weather, drive even slower – You should drive slower than the speed limit when roads are slick from rain, snow or ice because it will take more traction, distance and time in order to get your vehicle to a complete stop.
• Keep an eye out for pedestrians! – Always be on the lookout for pedestrians when you are driving. In 2016, a pedestrian was killed on average every 90 minutes because of traffic crashes.

Conclusion

When you are shopping for a new car in Alaska or anywhere else, you should always consider the car’s safety features with the highest importance and priority. There are a bunch of different things to consider when choosing a safe car as well such as features, safety test scores, crash test scores and more.

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How you can remove a bumper sticker without damaging your car
Getting your paint repaired if you have already damaged it
Final word
 

How you can remove a bumper sticker without damaging your car

If you have decided that you are tired of an old bumper sticker for whatever reason, you can always remove it. However, you will need to do so carefully without just trying to peel or scrape it off because you could end up damaging the paint on your bumper and/or scratching it. Thankfully, you have a few great options for getting a bumper sticker off of your car.

The first way that you can get a bumper sticker off of your car is to use a hair dryer and when it is on hold it a few inches from the bumper sticker and wave it across the sticker. Once you do that for a minute or two, you can start to peel the sticker. When you are peeling it, do so across the sticker instead of up. Once the sticker is off, use some automotive adhesive cleaner to clean the area that the sticker was on.

Another option you have for removing a bumper sticker will be to peel a small corner of the sticker. Then, take some WD-40 and spray it under the corner and peel a bit more. Repeat this process until the sticker is completely removed. After you have finished removing the bumper sticker, clean the area where the sticker was attached to your car using some automotive adhesive cleaner.
 

Getting your paint repaired if you have already damaged it

If you already damaged your paint when you were trying to remove a sticker from your car, do not worry, you will have a couple of options. The first is to buy some touch-up paint and carefully paint over the damaged area yourself. You must make sure you get the exact right paint, however. You can do so by going online and searching for the make, model, year and color of your car followed by the phrase “touch up paint”. You also have the option of taking your car to an auto paint repair place. This option will be the easiest, but it will also be the most expensive.
 

Final word

Sometimes bumper stickers end up not representing you very well after a certain period of time. Maybe you just got tired of having any kinds of stickers on your vehicle. Regardless of the reason, if you want a bumper sticker gone, you will be able to remove it with a fairly minimal amount of effort. You just need to make sure you do it right and take the right amount of caution, otherwise, you could end up damaging your bumper’s paint which you will then need to get fixed.

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Booking in advanced
Car shipping preparation 101
Final word
 

Booking in advanced

When you book a car shipment to or from Alaska, you should always do so with as much notice as you can. As a rule of thumb, it is always best to book your shipment at least a month in advanced. This is because doing so will give you a better chance of being able to get your preferred pickup and delivery windows. On the other hand, the longer you wait to schedule your shipment, the more other people will book their shipments which could end up taking the spots on the carriers during the time slots that you want.

If you book even earlier than a month in advanced, you could even end up saving a few dollars on the shipment. That is because when supply of shipping availability is high and demand for it is low, the cost will be a bit lower typically.
 

Car shipping preparation 101

Thankfully, the preparation for your car shipment will not be too difficult at all. You will just need to do three main things. You must get the exterior of the car cleaned, remove any personal items and you must figure out a way to have yourself or someone that you trust physically present at the pickup and drop-off of your vehicle.

You need to get the exterior of your car cleaned because when your car carrier driver arrives to pick up your car, they will perform a visual inspection where they will look all over the outside of your car to see if there is any preexisting damage. If there is, they will document it on the bill of lading. This is done for insurance purposes. As far as removing any personal items, this must be done because any sort of personal item that is lost or damaged during your vehicle’s transport will not be covered by the car shipping insurance. Finally, you or someone that you trust must be there at pickup and delivery in order to give/receive the keys and sign the bill of lading.
 

Final word

Planning your car shipment in advanced not only can help you save a few bucks and get preferred pickup/delivery windows, but it can also help you focus on other things such as an overall move or relocation. When you are planning your car shipment to or from Alaska, you should do so at least a month in advanced. If you are looking to save a couple of dollars from a supply/demand perspective, schedule your shipment at least two months in advanced. One your shipment is scheduled, the preparation will be easy and will just entail getting your car washed, removing any personal items from the car, and preparing to be there for both pickup and delivery.

Jump to section:
Reasons to consider a paint job
Tips for getting a paint job
Conclusion
 

Reasons to consider a paint job

Getting your car painted is not something that you will do more than once unless you have been in an accident. In fact, you may never end up with the need for a paint job. However, a paint job can be well worth the effort and money for a few reasons.

One of the most popular reasons that people get a paint job is to get the car back to looking like new. In Alaska, inclement weather is a big part of the winter months. This means lots of snow which means lots of road salt and sand. All of that can kick up and leave small scratches and chips in your paint. Over the course of a few winter seasons in Alaska, these micro scratches and chips can add up to a crummy looking exterior. A good paint job can potentially erase all of that.

Another reason for getting a paint job is that it will serve as protection for your car’s body from rust. Over the years, your car’s original paint job can wear away a bit which would make the body of your car more susceptible to rusting.

Finally, a new paint job will increase the value of your car so that if you decide to sell your car, it will earn you a maximum amount of money.
 

Tips for getting a paint job

If you have decided to get your car a paint job in Alaska, you should be aware of the following:

• Take your time picking a provider – You should always do your own research on what type of paint job you will need, pricing and the reputation of possible providers. You can do all of this online. You can also always call a particular provider and ask them whatever questions you have.
• Get damage fixed first – Unfortunately, getting a paint job will not cover up more serious damage like bigger/deeper scratches and dents. In fact, it could make that damage look more pronounced. So, be sure that you get that damage fixed before you get your car painted.
• It will take time to get your car painted – A few places may be able to get your paintjob done in three to five days. However, most places will take at least a week to get the job done. So, make sure you have arranged other transportation options for at least a week’s time while your car is away getting painted.
• Take care of the paint job – Once you get your car painted you should do whatever is in your power to take great care of that paint job so that you can avoid needing to get another one in the future. You can do this by getting the car washed and waxed frequently, keeping the car in a garage as well as avoiding driving in in inclement weather.

Conclusion

Getting a paint job certainly has its advantages. Not everyone will need one but if you do you make sure that you plan ahead and do your research on whichever shops that you are considering. Finally, once you get your car painted be sure that you take care of it in order to avoid needing another paintjob in the future.

Jump to section:
Quick fixes for your windshield
Windshield crack prevention
Wrapping up
 

Quick fixes for your windshield

When you get a crack in your windshield, you want to get it repaired as quickly as possible because cracks will always get worse. If it gets to a certain point, it could become unsafe to drive and your view could be restricted. This can lead to an accident or, at the very least, an expensive ticket from the police.

You will have two main options for getting a crack in your windshield repaired: brining it to an auto glass repair shop or calling a mobile glass repair service such as Safelite to come to your location to repair it. As you might expect, taking it to the shop will be less convenient and will likely take more time but it will be cheaper. Using a mobile auto glass repair service will allow you to go about your day as your repair experts works on your windshield where you are. Availability for appointments could take a day or two however.
 

Windshield crack prevention

Your very best option will always be to prevent any cracks in your windshield in the first place. This will entail alertness and caution on your part. Specifically, you should drive more slowly because at higher speeds there is a considerably higher chance that road debris like pebbles can kick up and crack your windshield. You should also keep a good distance between your vehicle and any cars in front of you because their rear wheels can kick road debris back at your windshield.

Avoid driving on roads that are dirt or gravel because the volume of potential road debris is much higher than a paved road. Also, do whatever you can in order to avoid driving in higher volumes of traffic. Finally, this goes without saying but always avoid potential road rage incidents as an altercation can result in damage to your vehicle including a cracked windshield.
 

Wrapping up

Having a cracked windshield is no trivial matter in Alaska or anywhere else for that matter. When you get a crack in your windshield you must get it repaired right away. If you do not, it could limit your ability to see the road which could potentially cause an accident. You can get a cracked windshield repaired by taking it to an auto glass repair shop or by using a mobile glass repair service. The best idea is to prevent your glass from getting cracked in the first place which you can do by driving slowly, keeping your distance from other vehicles and by avoiding gravel roads as well as any potential road rage incidents.

Jump to section:
How using your phone while you drive can cause you big trouble
How a cell phone mount frees you up to drive carefully
Final word
 

How using your phone while you drive can cause you big trouble

Using your cell phone as you drive anywhere, not just in Alaska, is extremely unsafe and puts you, your passengers and everyone else out on the road in extreme danger. When you take your eyes off of the road for an extended period as well as use one or both hands to hold your phone you are asking for a disaster to occur.

Even if you do not get into an accident, you can very likely end up getting pulled over and end up getting a hefty ticket for using your phone while you are driving. According to the National Safety Council over one and a half million car accidents are caused each year by cell phone use while driving.
 

How a cell phone mount frees you up to drive carefully

You can momentarily look at your cell phone and keep both of your hands on the wheel in Alaska completely legally by using a cell phone mount. It will vary state by state but in Alaska you can legally mount your cell phone on your dashboard or windshield. This will free you up to drive safely as well as have limited use of your phone as you drive.

This will be helpful if you need to peek at directions as you are driving or want to view a quick push notification. It will also allow you to safely and quickly answer a call and talk hands-free on speaker phone. However, you should not try to text and drive with this as it will defeat the purpose of the mount because you will be taking your eyes off of the road for an extended period. You will frequently see rideshare drivers from apps like Uber making good use of cell phone mounts as an example.
 

Final word

It is extremely irresponsible and reprehensible to use your cell phone as you are driving without some sort of a device that allows you to do so hands free. Bluetooths are a good option but those will limit you to calls. A cell phone mount can allow you to make calls and glance at directions and notifications as you drive. Either keep your phone away or use a cell phone mount when you are driving your vehicle in Alaska.

Jump to section:
What types of bumper stickers are legal and where you can place them
Advice for putting a bumper sticker on your car
Conclusion
 

What types of bumper stickers are legal and where you can place them

You might think that some bumper stickers could be illegal if they are particularly offensive. That is actually not the case unless the bumper sticker is a hate symbol of some kind. However, if you do put an offensive bumper sticker on your car in Alaska or anywhere else there are definite consequences that you can end up suffering.

Even though it might not be against the letter of the law, having an overly offensive bumper sticker can easily get you pulled over and even arrested. Eventually in court proceedings, these cases do not lead to jail time or fines, but you could initially be arrested and then you will need to spend money on some defense fees. An offensive bumper sticker could also lead to a road rage incident which can lead to serious injury or possibly even worse. Overall, keeping your bumper stickers light and unoffensive is the best bet for everyone involved.

In terms of where you are legally allowed to put a bumper sticker or sticker of any kind on your vehicle, you can have stickers where they do not obstruct your vision of the road in anyway. However, there is room for loose interpretation of this rule. So, if you do not want to get pulled over for having stickers in the wrong place on your vehicle be sure that you do not place stickers on your windshield, front passenger windows, side view mirrors, rear view mirror or anywhere near the middle of your rear window.
 

Advice for putting a bumper sticker on your car

Putting a bumper sticker or even a window sticker on your car is no big task at all. As we mentioned you do need to make sure that it is not too offensive and that it does not obstruct your view out of the windows in any way.

However, you also need to consider that you need to put the right type of sticker on your car or else you could end up damaging the paint job. Be sure that you only place stickers that are made and intended for cars on your vehicle. If you place a regular sticker on your car, it can possibly harm the paint in a few different ways so stick to non-temporary decals that were made for use on vehicles.
 

Conclusion

Bumper stickers are a fine and creative way of adding some personality to your car’s appearance. If you do decide to use one in Alaska or anywhere else for that matter, be sure that it is not offensive or else you could be pulled over for it. You also should be sure that you absolutely do not place any decals or stickers on your windows or mirrors in any way that could be considered obstructive to your view of the road, otherwise you could be given a ticket.