Massachusetts Driver License: Violations, Suspensions, Alcohol and Drugs

30 questions with the correct answer and an explanation for each. Topic: Violations, Suspensions, Alcohol and Drugs. Free, no account needed.

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1. An insurer is deciding whether to record a crash as an at-fault event on a driver's record. What share of fault must the driver bear for it to count?

  1. 25 percent or more
  2. 40 percent or more
  3. 75 percent or more
  4. More than 50 percent

Answer: D — More than 50 percent

A crash counts as at-fault when the insurer finds the driver more than 50 percent responsible.

2. A driver receives a citation for a civil motor vehicle infraction such as speeding. Within how many days must they pay the fine or request a hearing?

  1. 10 days
  2. 30 days
  3. 20 days
  4. 15 days

Answer: C — 20 days

Civil infractions must be resolved, by payment or hearing request, within 20 days.

3. A driver decides to fight a speeding ticket by requesting a hearing. What is required to file, and what happens to it if the driver is found not responsible?

  1. A $25 fee, non-refundable
  2. A $25 fee, refunded
  3. A $10 fee, non-refundable
  4. A $50 fee, refunded

Answer: B — A $25 fee, refunded

The hearing filing fee is $25 and is refunded if the driver is found not responsible.

4. A driver is ticketed for speeding while passing through a posted highway work zone. How does this affect the fine compared to the same speed elsewhere?

  1. No change to the fine
  2. The fine is doubled
  3. The fine increases by 10 percent
  4. A flat $50 is added

Answer: B — The fine is doubled

Speeding fines are doubled in posted work zones.

5. A driver is clocked going 73 mph in a 55 mph zone. What is the total cost of the citation?

  1. $150
  2. $135
  3. $185
  4. $205

Answer: C — $185

The manual gives $185 as the total cost for going 73 in a 55 zone.

6. An adult driver, not a junior operator, racks up three separate speeding convictions within a 12-month period. What happens to their license?

  1. It is suspended 60 days
  2. It is suspended one year
  3. It is suspended 30 days
  4. It is suspended 90 days

Answer: C — It is suspended 30 days

Three speeding violations in a year bring a 30-day suspension for an adult driver.

7. A Massachusetts driver ignores a speeding ticket earned in another state, and the Massachusetts license is suspended as a result. What is the minimum fee to reinstate it?

  1. $50
  2. $100
  3. $500
  4. $250

Answer: B — $100

Reinstating a license suspended over an unresolved out-of-state violation costs at least $100.

8. For a crash to be treated as an at-fault surchargeable event, beyond matching a Standard of Fault, how much must the insurer have paid out?

  1. More than $2,000
  2. More than $5,000
  3. More than $1,000
  4. More than $500

Answer: C — More than $1,000

Fault requires matching a Standard of Fault and the insurer paying more than $1,000.

9. A driver accumulates three surchargeable events, violations or at-fault crashes, within a two-year span. What must they do to avoid an indefinite suspension?

  1. Retake the road test
  2. Pay a fine within 30 days
  3. Complete an eight-hour driver retraining course within 90 days
  4. Appear in traffic court

Answer: C — Complete an eight-hour driver retraining course within 90 days

Three surchargeable events in two years require the eight-hour Driver Retraining Course within 90 days or face indefinite suspension.

10. A driver accumulates seven surchargeable events within three years. What automatically follows?

  1. Permanent revocation
  2. A 30-day suspension
  3. A one-year suspension
  4. A 60-day suspension

Answer: D — A 60-day suspension

Seven surchargeable events in three years bring an automatic 60-day suspension.

11. During a traffic stop, a driver refuses to give their name, address, license, or registration, or refuses to sign their name for the officer. What can result?

  1. Arrest
  2. A civil fine
  3. A note on the driving record
  4. A verbal warning

Answer: A — Arrest

Refusing to provide identifying information or sign for an officer can lead to arrest.

12. A driver needs a copy of their driving record for a legal proceeding and must choose between an attested and an unattested online version. What do they cost?

  1. $15 attested, $10 unattested
  2. $10 attested, $5 unattested
  3. $20 attested, $8 unattested
  4. $25 attested, $15 unattested

Answer: C — $20 attested, $8 unattested

An attested driving record costs $20, an unattested one $8 online.

13. A driver accumulates three major violations, or twelve major and minor violations, within five years. What classification and penalty follows?

  1. Repeat offender: two-year suspension, no fee
  2. Habitual traffic offender: four-year suspension with a $500 fee
  3. Serious offender: one-year suspension
  4. Chronic violator: indefinite suspension

Answer: B — Habitual traffic offender: four-year suspension with a $500 fee

This pattern of violations defines a habitual traffic offender, carrying a four-year suspension and $500 fee.

14. A junior operator on a learner's permit is caught, for the first time, driving without a licensed driver present or during the restricted nighttime hours. What happens to the permit?

  1. Suspended 60 days
  2. Suspended 180 days
  3. Suspended 90 days
  4. Suspended 30 days

Answer: A — Suspended 60 days

Junior operators lose the permit for 60 days on the first such violation, rising afterward.

15. A junior operator is convicted of speeding for the first time. How long is the suspension, and what happens on a later conviction?

  1. 60 days, then 180 days
  2. 90 days, then a year
  3. A year, then permanent revocation
  4. 180 days, then a year

Answer: B — 90 days, then a year

A junior operator's first speeding conviction brings a 90-day suspension, and later ones a year.

16. A junior operator is repeatedly caught using a mobile device while driving. What are the suspension lengths for the first, second, and third offenses?

  1. 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days
  2. 60 days, 180 days, and a year
  3. 60 days, 90 days, and 180 days
  4. 90 days, 180 days, and a year

Answer: B — 60 days, 180 days, and a year

Mobile device use brings escalating suspensions of 60 days, 180 days, then a year, with fines of $100, $250, and $500.

17. A driver is convicted of motor vehicle homicide. What is the range of possible license suspension?

  1. 5 to 10 years
  2. 10 years to lifetime
  3. 1 to 5 years
  4. 15 years to lifetime

Answer: D — 15 years to lifetime

Motor vehicle homicide or vehicular manslaughter carries a suspension of 15 years to lifetime.

18. A driver's license has been suspended for two years or more. Before they can drive again, what must they do besides pay reinstatement fees?

  1. Attend a telephone hearing only
  2. Pass the permit exam and road test again
  3. Nothing extra, just pay the fee
  4. Complete the driver retraining course only

Answer: B — Pass the permit exam and road test again

Suspensions of two years or more require passing the permit exam and road test again.

19. At what blood alcohol concentration is a chemical test considered failed for a driver over 21?

  1. 0.05
  2. 0.02
  3. 0.08
  4. 0.10

Answer: C — 0.08

A failed chemical test means a BAC of 0.08 or more.

20. A driver is convicted of a first OUI offense. What fine range and license suspension apply before any reduction?

  1. $200 to $1,000 fine, six-month suspension
  2. $500 to $5,000 fine, one-year suspension
  3. $600 to $10,000 fine, two-year suspension
  4. $1,000 to $5,000 fine, two-year suspension

Answer: B — $500 to $5,000 fine, one-year suspension

A first OUI offense brings a $500 to $5,000 fine and a one-year suspension.

21. A first-time OUI offender over 21 completes an alcohol education program. To what can the one-year license suspension be reduced?

  1. Six months
  2. 45 to 90 days
  3. 180 days
  4. 30 days

Answer: B — 45 to 90 days

An alcohol education program can cut the one-year suspension to 45 to 90 days for a first offense over 21.

22. A driver is convicted of a third OUI offense. How is it classified, and what license suspension follows?

  1. Misdemeanor, two-year suspension
  2. Misdemeanor, five-year suspension
  3. Felony, lifetime suspension
  4. Felony, eight-year suspension

Answer: D — Felony, eight-year suspension

A third OUI offense is a felony carrying an eight-year suspension.

23. A driver over 21 with no prior OUI offenses refuses a chemical test after arrest. How long is the license suspended?

  1. 180 days
  2. 90 days
  3. Three years
  4. One year

Answer: A — 180 days

Refusing a test suspends a driver over 21 with no prior OUI for 180 days.

24. A driver previously refused a chemical test and is now arrested for OUI again. Does that earlier refusal count as a prior OUI offense when calculating the new penalty?

  1. Yes, refusals always count as prior OUI offenses
  2. No, refusals do not count as prior OUI offenses
  3. Only if the case went to trial
  4. Only if the driver was under 21 at the time

Answer: B — No, refusals do not count as prior OUI offenses

Refusals do not count as prior OUI offenses.

25. A driver combines alcohol and marijuana before getting behind the wheel. About how much does this raise crash risk compared to driving sober?

  1. 12 times
  2. 20 times
  3. 2 times
  4. 5 times

Answer: A — 12 times

Alcohol combined with marijuana raises crash risk about twelve times.

26. A 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor each contain roughly the same amount of alcohol. By about how much does one such drink raise an average person's BAC?

  1. 0.08
  2. 0.01
  3. 0.05
  4. 0.02

Answer: D — 0.02

Each standard drink holds about half an ounce of alcohol and raises average BAC by about 0.02.

27. A driver who has been drinking tries coffee, a cold shower, exercise, and food to sober up before driving. Which of these actually lowers BAC faster?

  1. None of these; only time removes it
  2. A cold shower
  3. Exercise
  4. Coffee

Answer: A — None of these; only time removes it

Only time removes alcohol from the body; coffee, cold showers, exercise and food do not.

28. By driving on Massachusetts roads, what has every driver already agreed to under the implied consent law?

  1. Random breath tests at any time without cause
  2. Annual sobriety screening to renew a license
  3. A mandatory blood draw before any traffic stop
  4. Field sobriety tests and, after arrest, a breath or blood test

Answer: D — Field sobriety tests and, after arrest, a breath or blood test

Implied consent means agreeing to field sobriety tests and, after arrest, a breath or blood test.

29. Under the zero-tolerance law, what BAC triggers penalties for a driver under 21?

  1. 0.00
  2. 0.08
  3. 0.05
  4. 0.02

Answer: D — 0.02

The zero-tolerance law penalizes drivers under 21 at a BAC of 0.02 or higher.

30. A driver with two prior OUI convictions wants a hardship license. What device must they install, and for how long must they keep it after reinstatement?

  1. An ignition interlock, kept for two more years after reinstatement
  2. A breathalyzer car lock, no time limit specified
  3. No device is required with two priors
  4. An ignition interlock, kept for six months after reinstatement

Answer: A — An ignition interlock, kept for two more years after reinstatement

With two or more OUI offenses, an ignition interlock is required through the hardship period and two more years after reinstatement.

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