Colorado Car / Permit practice
Colorado Car / Permit: Alcohol & Drugs practice test
Blood alcohol limits, zero-tolerance and implied-consent laws, and how alcohol and drugs — legal or not — affect your driving.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
14 questions · pass with 11 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
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12 sample Alcohol & Drugs questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.
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1. Using marijuana for a medical purpose:
Correct answer: is not a defense against a DUI or DWAI charge
The fact that marijuana or another drug was used medicinally does not excuse impaired driving; it is not a defense to DUI or DWAI.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence (Drugs and driving)
2. Alcohol affects driving because it acts as a:
Correct answer: depressant that slows reflexes and impairs judgment
Alcohol is a depressant that reduces brain function, slowing reaction time and coordination and worsening the decisions needed to drive safely.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence
3. Once alcohol is in your bloodstream, what is the only thing that will make you sober?
Correct answer: the passage of time
Nothing speeds sobering; only time lets the body eliminate alcohol, dropping BAC by about 0.015% per hour on average.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence
4. Prescription and over-the-counter medicines can affect your driving, so before driving you should:
Correct answer: check the label for warnings and ask a doctor or pharmacist if unsure
Many legal medicines impair driving; read the label for warnings, and if it is missing or unclear, ask your doctor or pharmacist about side effects.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence (Drugs and driving)
5. Which of these contains about the same amount of alcohol as a 12-ounce beer?
Correct answer: 5 ounces of wine
A standard drink equals one 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a 1.5-ounce shot of spirits, all with about the same alcohol.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence
6. Colorado's express consent law means that by driving on public roads you have agreed to:
Correct answer: take a chemical test for alcohol or drugs if a lawful officer requests it
Operating a vehicle in Colorado gives your consent to a blood, breath, saliva or urine test when an officer suspects impaired driving.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence (Express Consent Law)
7. For a driver under 21, a license may be revoked based on a BAC over:
Correct answer: 0.02%
Colorado sets a much lower threshold for drivers under 21; a BAC over 0.02% can result in revocation, versus 0.04% for a CDL holder.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence
8. In the passenger area of a vehicle on a public road, it is illegal to have an open container of:
Correct answer: either alcohol or marijuana
The law bars an open container of alcohol or of marijuana in the passenger area of a vehicle on a public roadway.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence
9. If you refuse the required chemical test, your license will be revoked for:
Correct answer: one year, plus a two-year ignition interlock requirement
Refusing the test leads to a one-year license revocation and a requirement to install an ignition interlock device on any vehicle you drive for two years.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence (Express Consent Law)
10. A driver may be presumed to be under the influence if their blood contains THC of at least:
Correct answer: 5 nanograms per milliliter
There is a permissible inference of DUI when the blood holds 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter, though most cases also rest on observed impairment.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence
11. The offense of DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired) applies when a driver is:
Correct answer: impaired to even the slightest degree
DWAI means the driver's ability is affected to the slightest degree, a lower bar than DUI, which means the driver is substantially incapable of driving safely.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence
12. Colorado law regarding alcohol- or drug-related driving offenses does not allow a driver to:
Correct answer: plea bargain out of the charge
Because impaired driving is so dangerous, Colorado does not permit plea bargaining out of an alcohol- or drug-related driving offense.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Driving Under the Influence (Express Consent Law)
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Every Colorado question is written from the official Colorado driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free