Alcohol makes it hard to hold a steady lane position and speed, so swerving between lanes, crawling well below the pace of traffic, and stopping suddenly for no clear reason are classic warning signs. Give such a driver plenty of room and report the vehicle to police when you can do so safely.
The required minimum for bodily injury liability is $25,000 when a single person is hurt in a crash you cause. You may buy higher limits, but a $15,000 policy would fall short of the minimum.
In New Hampshire you have 30 days after a move to give the DMV your new address. Missing that deadline can bring a fine, and notices such as license renewals or suspensions may never reach you.
Drivers under 21 are held to a zero-tolerance rule: a reading of 0.02% or more brings penalties such as license suspension, far below the 0.08% adult limit. Even a single drink can bring a young driver close to that level, so the only safe plan is not to drink before driving.
If you strike an unattended vehicle and the owner cannot be located, you must leave a note with your contact details in plain view on that vehicle and also notify the State Police. Doing only one of the two does not satisfy the law.
Under implied consent, getting a license and driving on public roads count as advance agreement to chemical testing, such as a breath test, when you are arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Refusing the test usually brings its own penalties, including loss of your license.
Besides fines, loss of the license and possible jail time, a DUI conviction commonly comes with an order to complete an alcohol education program such as an Alcohol Highway Safety School. A mere warning, an unrelated riding course or a token fine does not reflect how drunk driving is punished.
Before the test begins, the examiner checks that your vehicle is safe and properly equipped. An unsafe vehicle, missing seat belts, or anything that keeps the examiner from reaching the brake pedal is enough to cancel the test, so check your car ahead of time.
Until age 18, New Hampshire's Youth Operator License carries a curfew: no driving from 1:00 to 4:00 in the morning. Before earning it, a teen practices only with a licensed adult who is 25 or older, because the state has no standard learner's permit.
New Hampshire suspends a driver's license for no less than 9 months after a first DUI conviction, and a fine and other penalties, such as an ignition interlock, can come on top of that. Later offenses take the license away for much longer.
For drivers 21 and older, the standard legal limit is a BAC of 0.08%. Drivers under 21 are covered by zero-tolerance laws with a far lower limit, so 0.08% is not the cutoff for 18- to 20-year-olds, and 0.06% is not the standard adult limit.
Tip Watch the decimal point closely: the adult limit is 0.08% BAC, not 0.8%.
One standard drink equals either 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits; each holds about the same amount of alcohol. Choosing beer or wine over liquor does not make you any less impaired.
New residents of New Hampshire have 60 days to switch an out-of-state vehicle to New Hampshire registration; driving on the old plates past that point breaks the law.
Every question in this set has its own page with the correct answer and an explanation.
