Many prescription and over-the-counter medicines cause drowsiness or slow reactions, and alcohol stacks on top of those effects. As a result, a single drink combined with a cold remedy can hit you as hard as several drinks taken without medication.
Stay well back from a driver who seems impaired, because that driver may weave or brake without warning. Do not try to pass or ride alongside; from behind you can keep the vehicle in view, react in time and, when it is safe, pull over and call 911.
Breath, blood and urine tests are chemical tests that reveal your blood alcohol concentration (BAC), meaning how much alcohol is in your blood. Officers rely on the result to decide whether you are legally impaired.
Under implied consent, anyone who drives on public roads has already agreed to chemical testing when an officer lawfully asks for it. Refusing leads to a license suspension, and there is no separate consent form or exception for younger drivers.
A breathalyzer is one kind of chemical test used to measure BAC. A conviction is possible without any chemical test, based on the officer's observations of the driving and the driver's behavior, and good physical fitness does not lower BAC.
A person under 21 may not have alcohol in their possession, even with no plan to drink it. Wearing a shirt with a beer logo or eating where alcohol is served does not break this rule.
To keep their full federal highway funding, all states must set a BAC limit of 0.02% or lower for drivers under 21. Some states set an even stricter limit, such as 0.01% or any detectable amount (0.00%).
Many legal medicines, including cold and allergy remedies, can cause drowsiness or slow your reactions, just as illegal drugs can. Driving while impaired by any drug, legal or not, can be a crime.
Each substance impairs your driving on its own, and combining them stacks those effects. That mix is riskier than alcohol by itself and makes a crash more likely.
Penalties for a DUI include fines the court is required to impose and the loss of your license through revocation. A conviction can also bring jail time, costlier insurance and a criminal record that does not go away.
Combining alcohol with other drugs can intensify what each substance does to you. One drink taken with a cold remedy, for example, can hit you as hard as several drinks.
They earn the gateway label because people who start with alcohol or tobacco may go on to experiment with stronger and more dangerous substances.
Implied consent applies to everyone who drives, minors included, so an officer can lawfully request a chemical test without involving a parent. Parental approval plays no role in the process.
Cold pills, allergy remedies and other medicines sold without a prescription can cause drowsiness or slow your reactions. Read the package warnings first, and if you are unsure whether it is safe to drive, ask a doctor or pharmacist.
Every question in this set has its own page with the correct answer and an explanation.
