North Carolina Driver License: Alcohol, Points and Suspensions

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

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1. At what blood alcohol concentration is a driver of a noncommercial vehicle considered legally impaired?

  1. 0.08 percent
  2. 0.04 percent
  3. 0.10 percent
  4. 0.05 percent

Answer: A — 0.08 percent

The law sets impairment at 0.08 percent BAC for ordinary drivers; 0.05 is only where crash risk starts rising, and 0.04 is the commercial-vehicle threshold.

2. A driver's blood alcohol concentration is below the level needed to charge an ordinary driver with DWI, yet crash risk is already elevated at that level. What BAC is that?

  1. 0.02
  2. 0.04
  3. 0.05
  4. 0.08

Answer: C — 0.05

Crash risk rises at 0.05, a level below the 0.08 threshold used to prove impairment.

3. A commercial truck driver is charged with DWI after a chemical test. At what BAC does the test result alone prove impairment for that driver?

  1. 0.08
  2. 0.05
  3. 0.02
  4. 0.04

Answer: D — 0.04

Commercial drivers are held to a lower threshold of 0.04, compared with 0.08 for noncommercial drivers.

4. A driver charged with DWI refuses the chemical test. Apart from the immediate revocation for the refusal itself, what is the minimum length of the separate DMV revocation that follows?

  1. 12 months
  2. 30 days
  3. 6 months
  4. 4 years

Answer: A — 12 months

Refusal brings an immediate revocation of at least 30 days plus a further DMV revocation of at least 12 months.

5. A driver is serving a revocation for refusing a chemical test during a DWI stop. After how long into that revocation can a judge grant a limited driving privilege?

  1. Six months
  2. One year
  3. 30 days
  4. 90 days

Answer: A — Six months

A limited driving privilege may be granted after six months of the refusal revocation.

6. A driver takes a breath test after a DWI stop and registers 0.09. Before any court hearing, what is the minimum length of the immediate revocation triggered by that result?

  1. 12 months
  2. 30 days
  3. 10 days
  4. 60 days

Answer: B — 30 days

A test of 0.08 or more triggers an immediate revocation of at least 30 days.

7. A commercial truck driver has an unopened case of beer sitting in the passenger area of the cab. Is this allowed?

  1. Yes, as long as the driver does not drink it
  2. No, no alcohol is allowed there, open or closed
  3. Yes, closed containers are allowed in any vehicle
  4. No, unless it is kept out of the driver's reach

Answer: B — No, no alcohol is allowed there, open or closed

Commercial vehicles forbid any alcohol, open or closed, in the passenger area, unlike noncommercial vehicles which only ban open containers.

8. A driver whose license is already revoked for a previous DWI is convicted of another DWI. What can happen to the vehicle they were driving?

  1. It is seized and sold
  2. It is fined but not touched
  3. It is impounded for 30 days
  4. Nothing beyond the license revocation

Answer: A — It is seized and sold

A DWI committed while already revoked for an earlier DWI can lead to the vehicle being seized and sold.

9. A driver is convicted of DWI for the second time, and the first conviction happened two years earlier. How long is the license revoked?

  1. Permanently
  2. Four years
  3. Two years
  4. One year

Answer: B — Four years

A second DWI conviction brings a four-year revocation when the prior offense was within three years.

10. A driver's license is restored for the first time after a DWI conviction. What alcohol-concentration restriction applies to that restored license?

  1. 0.00
  2. 0.02
  3. 0.05
  4. 0.04

Answer: D — 0.04

The first restoration after a DWI carries a 0.04 restriction; later restorations, and certain other cases, carry 0.00.

11. A driver's DWI chemical test comes back at 0.16. What additional requirement does this specifically trigger beyond the standard DWI penalties?

  1. An ignition interlock
  2. A permanent revocation
  3. A substance abuse assessment
  4. Seizure of the vehicle

Answer: A — An ignition interlock

A BAC of 0.15 or more requires an ignition interlock; a substance abuse assessment is required of every DWI offender regardless of BAC, so it isn't the result specific to the high reading.

12. What is the minimum age at which a person may legally purchase alcohol?

  1. 20
  2. 21
  3. 18
  4. 19

Answer: B — 21

The purchase age for alcohol is 21.

13. A 20-year-old buys alcohol and gives it to a 17-year-old, and is convicted for it. What happens to the 20-year-old's driving license?

  1. A permanent revocation
  2. Nothing, only the person who drinks it is penalized
  3. A 30-day revocation
  4. A one-year revocation

Answer: D — A one-year revocation

Conviction of an underage person for buying alcohol, or for giving alcohol to an underage person, brings a one-year revocation.

14. A 19-year-old driver is stopped and tests positive for a small amount of alcohol in their body, below the level needed to charge an adult driver with DWI. They are convicted. What happens to their license?

  1. A one-year revocation
  2. A permanent revocation
  3. Nothing, since it is below the impairment threshold
  4. A 30-day revocation

Answer: A — A one-year revocation

A driver under 21 convicted of driving with any amount of alcohol or drugs in the body loses the license for one year, regardless of the 0.08 adult threshold.

15. A driver has accumulated seven points on their driving record. What might the DMV require as a result?

  1. An ignition interlock
  2. An immediate 60-day suspension
  3. Reapplication for a new license
  4. Attendance at a driver improvement clinic

Answer: D — Attendance at a driver improvement clinic

Seven points can send a driver to a driver improvement clinic.

16. A driver required to attend the driver improvement clinic completes it. How many points does that remove from their record?

  1. None, it only avoids a suspension
  2. All of them
  3. Seven
  4. Three

Answer: D — Three

Completing the clinic removes three points.

17. A driver has never had a point suspension before. How many points within three years can suspend the license?

  1. 12
  2. 8
  3. 7
  4. 15

Answer: A — 12

Twelve points in three years can suspend the license. Eight points is a trigger only within three years of a reinstatement, i.e. after an earlier suspension.

18. A driver in a noncommercial vehicle is convicted of passing a stopped school bus. How many points does this conviction add to their record?

  1. 8
  2. 6
  3. 4
  4. 5

Answer: D — 5

Passing a stopped school bus carries 5 points in a noncommercial vehicle; the higher value of 8 applies only in a commercial vehicle.

19. A driver receives a ticket for illegal parking. Does this conviction add points to their driving record?

  1. No points are added
  2. Yes, but only in a commercial vehicle
  3. Yes, 2 points
  4. Yes, 1 point

Answer: A — No points are added

Illegal parking is explicitly listed among convictions that add no points.

20. A driver is caught going 72 mph in a 55 mph zone, more than 15 mph over the limit. What is the minimum DMV suspension for this offense?

  1. 90 days
  2. 30 days
  3. 10 days
  4. 60 days

Answer: B — 30 days

Speeding more than 15 mph over the limit while exceeding 55 mph costs the license at least 30 days.

21. A driver requests a hearing to contest a DMV suspension and loses. How long do they have to appeal to the Superior Court of their county?

  1. 60 days
  2. 20 days
  3. 10 days
  4. 30 days

Answer: D — 30 days

An unsuccessful hearing can be appealed to Superior Court within 30 days.

22. A driver is convicted of failing to stop and give aid after a crash they caused. What is the resulting license suspension?

  1. 3 years
  2. Permanent
  3. 90 days
  4. 1 year

Answer: D — 1 year

Failing to stop and give aid after a crash carries a one-year suspension.

23. A driver is convicted of manslaughter committed while driving impaired. What happens to their license?

  1. 2 years
  2. 1 year
  3. 3 years
  4. Permanent revocation

Answer: D — Permanent revocation

Manslaughter while impaired brings a permanent revocation.

24. A driver is caught engaging in prearranged racing on a public road. Beyond a three-year license suspension, what else can happen?

  1. A permanent revocation is added
  2. The vehicle is destroyed
  3. The vehicle is seized and may be auctioned
  4. Nothing further happens

Answer: C — The vehicle is seized and may be auctioned

Prearranged racing carries a three-year suspension, and the vehicle involved is seized and may be auctioned.

25. A driver misses a scheduled court date for a traffic citation. How long does the resulting revocation last?

  1. 1 year
  2. 6 months
  3. Until the court reports the citation resolved
  4. 30 days

Answer: C — Until the court reports the citation resolved

Failure to appear brings a revocation lasting until the court reports the citation resolved.

26. A North Carolina driver is convicted of a serious traffic offense while driving in another state. How does this affect their North Carolina driving record?

  1. It has no effect since it happened elsewhere
  2. It only counts if it is a felony
  3. It requires a separate North Carolina conviction first
  4. It counts the same as if it happened in North Carolina

Answer: D — It counts the same as if it happened in North Carolina

Out-of-state convictions count as if they happened in North Carolina.

27. A 17-year-old driver commits a second moving violation within a 12-month period. What is the resulting suspension?

  1. 90 days
  2. 1 year
  3. 6 months
  4. 30 days

Answer: D — 30 days

A second moving violation within 12 months suspends a provisional licensee for 30 days.

28. A 16-year-old driver racks up a fourth moving violation within a 12-month period. What is the resulting suspension?

  1. 1 year
  2. 30 days
  3. 90 days
  4. 6 months

Answer: D — 6 months

A fourth moving violation within 12 months suspends a provisional licensee for six months.

29. A driver's license was suspended for accumulating too many points, unrelated to any DWI. To restore it, what restoration fee must they pay?

  1. $83.50
  2. $100
  3. $50
  4. $167.25

Answer: A — $83.50

The standard restoration fee is $83.50; the higher $167.25 fee applies only after a DWI.

30. A driver's license was revoked following a DWI conviction. What restoration fee applies when they become eligible to restore it?

  1. $200
  2. $167.25
  3. $83.50
  4. $50

Answer: B — $167.25

Restoration after a DWI requires the higher $167.25 fee, compared with $83.50 for other suspensions.

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