New York Driver License: Alcohol and Other Drugs

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

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1. About what share of New York motor vehicle deaths involve impaired driving?

  1. About 25 percent
  2. More than 40 percent
  3. Less than 10 percent
  4. About 60 percent

Answer: B — More than 40 percent

Impaired driving is a factor in more than 40 percent of New York traffic deaths.

2. Drivers under 21 make up about 4 percent of all drivers on the road. What share of impaired drivers in fatal crashes do they represent?

  1. About 7 percent
  2. About 4 percent
  3. About 15 percent
  4. About 25 percent

Answer: A — About 7 percent

Under-21 drivers are disproportionately represented among impaired drivers in fatal crashes, which is why they face harsher penalties.

3. A driver who has been drinking is dazzled by an oncoming car's headlights at night. Why is this especially dangerous?

  1. Alcohol makes headlights appear dimmer than they are
  2. Alcohol permanently damages night vision
  3. Alcohol slows recovery from headlight glare
  4. Alcohol causes the pupils to dilate more than normal

Answer: C — Alcohol slows recovery from headlight glare

Alcohol specifically slows how quickly a driver's vision recovers after glare, making night driving after drinking especially risky.

4. After several drinks, a driver feels completely capable of handling the road, even though their skills have clearly slipped. What explains this false confidence?

  1. Alcohol lowers inhibitions
  2. Alcohol hides its own effects, so a drinker feels more confident just when they should not drive
  3. Alcohol delays reaction time
  4. Alcohol distorts judgment of speed and distance

Answer: B — Alcohol hides its own effects, so a drinker feels more confident just when they should not drive

Alcohol masks its own impairing effects, creating false confidence right when driving ability has dropped.

5. A driver's chemical test comes back at .10 BAC. What does this level provide legal evidence of?

  1. No offense, since it is below .18
  2. Aggravated DWI
  3. Impairment only, not intoxication
  4. Intoxication

Answer: D — Intoxication

A BAC of .08 or higher is evidence of intoxication, and .10 clears that threshold.

6. A driver's chemical test comes back at .20 BAC. What does this level provide legal evidence of?

  1. DWI only
  2. DWAI-drug
  3. Aggravated DWI
  4. DWAI

Answer: C — Aggravated DWI

A BAC of .18 or more is evidence of aggravated DWI, and .20 exceeds that threshold.

7. A 150-pound man drinks one 12-ounce beer. Which other drink raises his BAC by about the same amount?

  1. 5 ounces of wine
  2. 20 ounces of beer
  3. 3 ounces of liquor
  4. 8 ounces of wine

Answer: A — 5 ounces of wine

A standard 12-ounce beer, 5-ounce glass of wine, 1½-ounce shot of liquor, and 12-ounce wine cooler all contain roughly the same amount of alcohol.

8. Before driving home, someone who has been drinking gulps two cups of black coffee and takes a cold shower. Has this lowered their BAC?

  1. Yes, if combined with light exercise
  2. No, only time without drinking lowers BAC
  3. Yes, the cold shower lowers BAC even though the coffee does not
  4. Yes, coffee speeds up how the body breaks down alcohol

Answer: B — No, only time without drinking lowers BAC

Coffee, exercise, and cold showers may keep a person awake, but only time without drinking actually lowers BAC.

9. A driver arrested for DWI refuses the breath test, and a DMV hearing later confirms the refusal. At trial the driver is acquitted of DWI. What happens to the license?

  1. It stays suspended only until the trial ends, then is restored
  2. No license action is possible without a conviction
  3. It is fully reinstated because of the acquittal
  4. It is revoked anyway

Answer: D — It is revoked anyway

Refusal is judged separately from guilt: a confirmed refusal leads to revocation even if the driver is acquitted of the underlying charge.

10. An officer stops a driver who is never given a chemical test, but testifies in court about the driver's erratic driving, appearance, and behavior. Can this support a conviction?

  1. No, a chemical test is always required for a conviction
  2. Only for a DWAI charge, never for DWI
  3. Yes, an officer's testimony alone can be enough
  4. Only if a second officer confirms the same observations

Answer: C — Yes, an officer's testimony alone can be enough

A chemical test is not required for conviction; an officer's testimony about driving, appearance, and behavior can be sufficient.

11. A driver is convicted of a first DWI with a .08 BAC. What is the minimum license consequence?

  1. A 6-month revocation
  2. A 1-year revocation
  3. A 90-day suspension
  4. An 18-month revocation

Answer: A — A 6-month revocation

A first DWI conviction carries a minimum 6-month license revocation.

12. A driver's first chemical test shows .06 BAC. What offense category and license penalty apply?

  1. DWAI-drug, with a 6-month suspension
  2. DWI, with a 6-month revocation
  3. DWAI, with a 90-day suspension
  4. Aggravated DWI, with a 1-year revocation

Answer: C — DWAI, with a 90-day suspension

A BAC from .05 to .07 is a first-offense DWAI, a traffic infraction carrying a 90-day suspension.

13. A driver is convicted of Aggravated DWI for the second time within 10 years. How is this classified, and what is the maximum jail term?

  1. A misdemeanor, up to 1 year
  2. A traffic infraction, up to 15 days
  3. A Class E felony, up to 4 years
  4. A Class E felony, up to 1 year

Answer: C — A Class E felony, up to 4 years

A second Aggravated DWI within 10 years is a Class E felony punishable by up to 4 years in jail.

14. A driver with a DWI conviction from 3 years ago is now convicted of a second DWI within 10 years. Because the prior conviction falls within the last 5 years, what additional minimum penalty applies?

  1. At least 5 days jail or 30 days community service
  2. The ignition interlock requirement is waived
  3. Automatic lifetime license revocation
  4. A mandatory 1-year prison term

Answer: A — At least 5 days jail or 30 days community service

A second DWI within 10 years, with a prior DWI within the last 5 years, brings at least 5 days jail or 30 days community service.

15. A driver convicted of DWI must have an ignition interlock installed. Who pays for it, and what is the minimum time it must stay installed?

  1. The state, for at least 6 months
  2. The driver, for at least 6 months with no exceptions
  3. The state, for at least 12 months
  4. The driver, for at least 12 months

Answer: D — The driver, for at least 12 months

Convicted drivers must install and keep an interlock at their own expense for at least 12 months, though a court may later reduce it to six.

16. A driver is arrested for driving drunk with a 10-year-old child in the car. What does this charge become?

  1. An automatic lifetime license revocation with no criminal charge
  2. A traffic infraction with an enhanced fine
  3. A Class E felony under Leandra's Law
  4. A misdemeanor requiring counseling

Answer: C — A Class E felony under Leandra's Law

Driving drunk with a child under 16 in the vehicle is a Class E felony under Leandra's Law, carrying up to four years in prison.

17. A driver holds a conditional license, issued after an alcohol conviction for trips to work and medical appointments. Besides violating the court's terms, what else can get that license revoked?

  1. Any traffic conviction other than parking, stopping, or standing
  2. Any parking ticket
  3. Only a second alcohol-related conviction
  4. Missing a scheduled court date only

Answer: A — Any traffic conviction other than parking, stopping, or standing

A conditional license is revoked for breaking the court's terms or for any traffic conviction other than parking, stopping, or standing.

18. A driver under the influence of alcohol causes a crash that kills someone. Besides vehicular manslaughter, what other charge can this bring?

  1. Leaving the scene of an accident
  2. Criminally negligent homicide
  3. Reckless driving
  4. Unlawful fleeing from a police officer

Answer: B — Criminally negligent homicide

Killing someone in an alcohol violation can bring charges of criminally negligent homicide, aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, or vehicular assault.

19. An applicant for license reinstatement has four alcohol or drug driving convictions over their lifetime. What does DMV do?

  1. Grants a restricted license immediately
  2. Imposes a five-year extra wait, then reinstates
  3. Permanently denies the license
  4. Requires an interlock for five years, then reinstates

Answer: C — Permanently denies the license

Four alcohol or drug driving convictions or incidents in a lifetime results in permanent denial of a license.

20. An applicant has three alcohol or drug incidents within the 25-year look-back period and also has 20 or more points on their license in that period. What is the result?

  1. A two-year extra wait, then a restricted license
  2. Permanent denial of a license
  3. A five-year extra wait, then a restricted license
  4. Immediate reinstatement with an interlock

Answer: B — Permanent denial of a license

Three alcohol or drug incidents in the 25-year look-back combined with another serious offense, such as 20 or more points, results in permanent denial.

21. An applicant has three alcohol or drug incidents in 25 years, no other serious driving offense, and the revocation being served was alcohol-related. How much extra time must they wait beyond the revocation before getting a restricted license?

  1. Two extra years
  2. No extra wait
  3. Five extra years
  4. One extra year

Answer: C — Five extra years

With three alcohol or drug incidents in 25 years but no serious offense, the wait is five extra years beyond the revocation when it was alcohol-related (two years otherwise).

22. A 19-year-old driver is stopped and tests at .04 BAC, a first such violation. What happens under Zero Tolerance?

  1. Arrest for DWAI with a 90-day suspension
  2. A one-year license revocation
  3. No penalty, since the BAC is below .08
  4. A six-month suspension after a DMV hearing, plus a $100 fee and a $125 civil penalty

Answer: D — A six-month suspension after a DMV hearing, plus a $100 fee and a $125 civil penalty

Any measurable BAC from .02 to .07 for a driver under 21 brings a six-month suspension after a DMV hearing, a $100 termination fee, and a $125 civil penalty.

23. A driver under 21 racks up a second Zero Tolerance violation. What is the license consequence?

  1. Permanent denial of a license
  2. Revocation for at least one year or until age 21, whichever is longer
  3. Another six-month suspension
  4. A $500 fine with no license action

Answer: B — Revocation for at least one year or until age 21, whichever is longer

A second Zero Tolerance violation revokes the license for at least one year or until the driver turns 21, whichever is longer.

24. A passenger drinks from an open can of beer while riding in an ordinary car on a public road (not a stretch limousine or a DOT-certified commerce vehicle). What offense does this create, and what is the maximum penalty for a first offense?

  1. A misdemeanor with mandatory jail time
  2. A felony, even on a first offense
  3. No offense, since only the driver can be charged
  4. A traffic infraction, up to $150 and up to 15 days in jail

Answer: D — A traffic infraction, up to $150 and up to 15 days in jail

A driver or passenger who drinks alcohol or has an open container in a vehicle on a public road commits a traffic infraction, punishable by up to $150 and up to 15 days jail on a first offense.

25. A group of friends heading out for the night picks one person to be the designated driver. What should that person do?

  1. Limit themselves to one or two drinks early on
  2. Drink nothing all night
  3. Switch to non-alcoholic drinks after midnight
  4. Stick to beer instead of liquor

Answer: B — Drink nothing all night

A designated driver is someone who drinks nothing, not someone who merely limits or times their drinking.

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