Moving Over for Stopped Vehicles
AS 28.35.185 — leave the nearest lane or slow down for flashing lights, a class A misdemeanor if someone is hurt
A driver approaching a stopped emergency, fire, police, animal control or road work vehicle, or a tow truck picking up a vehicle, showing flashing emergency lights, does one of two things, unless police or emergency personnel direct otherwise.
Who handles this in Alaska: Alaska Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Alaska directory.
- On a road with two or more lanes in the same direction, leave the lane closest to the stopped vehicle if traffic and safety allow.
- If changing lanes would be impossible, illegal or unsafe, or there is only one lane each way, slow to a reasonable and prudent speed for the traffic, road and weather.
Failing to move over or slow down is an infraction, and a class A misdemeanor if someone is injured because of it.
Disobeying the signals of an officer directing traffic is against the law as well.
Sources for this section (2)
- AS 28.35.185 — Overtaking and passing certain stationary vehicles
- AS 28.35.180 — Disobedience to signals of officer regulating traffic prohibited
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Alaska attorney.