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Arizona driving lesson · Impaired Driving, Points & Penalties

Alcohol, drugs & open containers

A 3-minute lesson from the Arizona course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Impaired Driving, Points & Penalties
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
59, 60

Alcohol, marijuana, medications and illegal drugs slow your reflexes, weaken your control and dull your ability to recognize danger — while giving you false confidence. Arizona's laws cover drivers, passengers, adults who supply minors, and anyone under 21.

Do not drink and drive symbol
Don't drink and drive

Know the rule

Prescription drugs and over-the-counter allergy and cold medicines can impair driving. Check medication labels for warnings before you drive.

Handbook p. 59 ↗

Know the rule

It is illegal for a driver or passenger to consume or possess an open container of spirituous liquor in the passenger compartment on any public roadway.

Handbook p. 59 ↗

Know the rule

Passengers in a bus, limousine, taxi or the living area of a motor home are exempt from the open container law.

Handbook p. 59 ↗

Passenger compartment

Includes unlocked compartments and portable devices within reach of the driver or passengers. Not the trunk, or the area behind the last upright seat in a vehicle without a trunk.

Handbook p. 59 ↗

Knowingly buying for or providing liquor to a minor

Knowingly buying for or providing liquor to a minor
ConvictionCourt may suspend license for
FirstNot more than 30 days
Second or subsequentNot more than six months
Handbook p. 59 ↗

Know the rule

Alcohol involvement in crashes peaks for ages 21 to 34, and adults 21 to 29 are the most likely to drive after drinking. Youthful drivers are substantially over-represented in crashes.

Handbook p. 59 ↗

Know the rule

Under 21: any trace of alcohol, marijuana, medications or illegal drugs that impairs your ability to drive safely brings stiff penalties and a 2-year license suspension.

Handbook p. 60 ↗
0.08

Legal limit for blood alcohol concentration (BAC)

Handbook p. 60 ↗

Know the rule

Being under 0.08 BAC does not mean it's legal or safe to drive — you can still be arrested for DUI. Alcohol impairs driving well below 0.08.

Handbook p. 60 ↗

Know the rule

Driving while impaired is a crime. The best way to avoid death, injury, penalties and jail is Zero-Tolerance: no alcohol.

Handbook p. 60 ↗

Put it into practice

Your friend wants to ride home with an open beer in the back seat of your car. That's illegal for a passenger too. Put it, unopened, in the trunk.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

If you are under 21 and have any trace of alcohol or drugs that impairs your ability to drive safely, for how long will your license be suspended?
  1. License suspended for 2 years
  2. License suspended for 6 months
  3. A warning only, no suspension
  4. License suspended for 30 days

Answer: License suspended for 2 years

The handbook (p.60) says an under-21 driver with any impairing trace of alcohol, marijuana, medications or illegal drugs will have their license suspended for 2 years.

Handbook p. 60 ↗
Can a driver be arrested for DUI even with a BAC below 0.08%?
  1. No, 0.08% is always required for any DUI arrest
  2. No, unless drugs are also involved
  3. Yes, but only for drivers under 25
  4. Yes, impairment can occur below it

Answer: Yes, impairment can occur below it

Studies show alcohol impairs driving ability below 0.08%, so a driver can still be found guilty of DUI below that threshold.

Handbook p. 60 ↗
Is it legal for a passenger to have an open container of liquor in the passenger compartment of a moving vehicle?
  1. Yes, if the passenger is 21 or older
  2. Yes, on residential streets only
  3. No, it is illegal on any public roadway
  4. Yes, if the driver doesn't drink it

Answer: No, it is illegal on any public roadway

It is illegal for a driver or passenger to possess an open container of liquor in the passenger compartment on any public roadway.

Handbook p. 59 ↗
Which vehicle occupants are exempt from Arizona's open container law?
  1. Passengers who are 21 or older
  2. Passengers in a bus, limo, taxi or motor home living area
  3. Passengers in the back seat of a car
  4. Passengers who are not drinking

Answer: Passengers in a bus, limo, taxi or motor home living area

Passengers in a bus, limousine, taxi, or a motor home's living area are exempt from the open container restriction.

Handbook p. 59 ↗
For a first conviction of providing alcohol to a minor, what is the possible license suspension?
  1. Not more than 30 days
  2. Not more than 6 months
  3. Not more than 1 year
  4. No suspension, only a fine

Answer: Not more than 30 days

A first conviction for providing alcohol to a minor may result in suspension of not more than 30 days.

Handbook p. 59 ↗
Being under the legal BAC limit of 0.08% always means it is safe and legal for you to drive.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

The handbook explicitly warns that being under 0.08% does not mean it is legal or safe to drive.

Handbook p. 60 ↗
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