Alcohol & Drugs

Study questions with answers

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.

1. 1. Which riding-related ability does alcohol impair even below the legal limit?

   Correct answer: Judgment and decision-making

   The judgment and decision-making that riding demands start slipping well before you ever hit the legal limit, so impairment begins with the first drink.

   Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Alcohol and Other Drugs in Motorcycle Operation

2. 2. If you have been drinking and have not controlled it, the surest way to stay safe is to do what?

   Correct answer: Not ride and find another way home

   The best choice is not to ride: leave the motorcycle home, arrange another ride, or wait until your body clears the alcohol and its fatigue.

   Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Minimize the Risks

3. 3. About how quickly does the body eliminate alcohol?

   Correct answer: About one drink per hour

   The body clears alcohol at a rate of roughly one drink per hour, so alcohol can still build up if you drink faster than that.

   Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Alcohol in the Body: Blood Alcohol Concentration

4. 4. If a rider has 7 drinks over 3 hours, at least how many drinks remain in their system?

   Correct answer: At least 4 drinks

   Using the manual's formula of drinks consumed minus hours since the first drink, 7 drinks over 3 hours leaves at least 4 drinks in the body.

   Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Alcohol in the Body: Blood Alcohol Concentration

5. 5. Beyond a fine and suspension, which is another possible penalty for a drinking-and-riding conviction?

   Correct answer: Community service

   Penalties can include community service such as roadside cleanup, plus added costs like lawyer's fees, lost work time, and transportation while suspended.

   Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Consequences of Conviction

6. 6. Why can waiting one hour per drink still leave a rider impaired?

   Correct answer: Because side effects like fatigue can remain

   Side effects such as the fatiguing effects of alcohol can remain even after you wait an hour per drink, so your skills may still be affected.

   Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Test Yourself / Minimize the Risks

7. 7. The MVA will suspend the license of a driver who takes the test and shows what alcohol concentration?

   Correct answer: 0.08 percent or higher

   A driver who submits to testing and is found at 0.08 percent alcohol concentration or higher will have their license suspended by the MVA.

   Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Alcohol and the Law: Implied Consent

8. 8. When alcohol and other drugs are mixed, how does their combined effect compare with either substance used alone?

   Correct answer: More dangerous than either alone

   Mixing alcohol with other drugs produces a combined effect that is more hazardous than either one would be on its own.

   Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Alcohol and Other Drugs in Motorcycle Operation

9. 9. Which is an effective way to keep a friend who has had too much to drink from riding?

   Correct answer: Arrange a safer ride home for them

   You can arrange a safer ride, slow their drinking, keep them there with food and coffee, or get other friends involved to intervene.

   Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Step In to Protect Friends

10. 10. In Maryland, reaching or exceeding which BAC level can result in an alcohol-related conviction?

    Correct answer: .05 or above

    A BAC of .05 or above could result in an alcohol-related conviction, regardless of how sober the rider may look or act.

    Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Alcohol and the Law

11. 11. A dangerous effect of alcohol on your self-assessment is that as your riding worsens, you tend to feel what?

    Correct answer: That you are riding better and better

    Alcohol impairs your judgment of your own riding first, so you may take greater risks while wrongly believing you are riding better and better.

    Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Minimize the Risks

12. 12. A 12-ounce beer, a single shot of hard liquor, and a 5-ounce pour of wine each hold what?

    Correct answer: The same amount of alcohol

    These standard servings each hold about the same amount of alcohol, so switching drink types does not change how much alcohol you take in.

    Source: Maryland Motorcycle Operator Manual (DL-001) — Alcohol in the Body: Blood Alcohol Concentration