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California driving lesson · Alcohol, Drugs & DUI

Drivers under 21 & alcohol

A 3-minute lesson from the California 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
Alcohol, Drugs & DUI
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
81

Drivers under 21 face extra rules on carrying alcohol and a near-zero BAC limit. A single drink can cost you your license, or delay your first one.

Know the rule

If you are under 21, you may not carry any alcoholic beverage in a vehicle unless someone 21 or older is with you. The container must be full, sealed, and unopened.

Handbook p. 81 ↗

Know the rule

If opened, the alcohol must be kept in the trunk or a place where passengers do not sit.

Handbook p. 81 ↗

Know the rule

Exception: if you work for someone with an off-site liquor sales license, you may carry alcoholic beverages in closed containers.

Handbook p. 81 ↗
30 days

Your vehicle may be impounded up to this long if you're under 21 and caught with alcohol

Handbook p. 81 ↗

Know the rule

If caught with alcohol, the court may fine you and suspend your license for one year. Without a license, the court may have DMV delay your first license for up to one year.

Handbook p. 81 ↗

Know the rule

If an officer suspects you of drinking, they can require a hand-held breath test, a preliminary alcohol screening (PAS), or another chemical test.

Handbook p. 81 ↗

Under-21 BAC consequences

Under-21 BAC consequences
BAC / eventWhat can happen
DUI conviction, BAC 0.01%+DMV may revoke for 1 year; DUI program
PAS shows 0.05%+Officer may require breath or blood test
Later test shows 0.05%+May be arrested for DUI; license suspended
Handbook p. 81 ↗
0.01%

BAC at which a driver under 21 can be convicted of DUI

Handbook p. 81 ↗

Put it into practice

An 18-year-old drives her 22-year-old brother home with a sealed six-pack in the back seat. That's allowed because a person 21 or older is with her and the container is full and unopened. Driving alone with it would not be.

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.

Under 21, when may you carry an unopened alcohol container in your vehicle?
  1. Only with someone 21 or older
  2. Anytime, as long as it's sealed
  3. Never under any circumstance
  4. Only if you have a note from a parent

Answer: Only with someone 21 or older

Drivers under 21 may not carry alcohol in a vehicle unless someone 21 or older is present.

Handbook p. 81 ↗
If caught with alcohol in their vehicle, how long may law enforcement impound a minor's vehicle?
  1. Up to 10 days
  2. Up to 30 days
  3. Up to 90 days
  4. Up to 1 year

Answer: Up to 30 days

Law enforcement can impound a minor's vehicle for up to 30 days if caught with alcohol.

Handbook p. 81 ↗
A driver under 21 is convicted of DUI with a BAC of 0.01% or higher. What may DMV do?
  1. Suspend it for 30 days
  2. Revoke it for one year
  3. Revoke it for three years
  4. Suspend it for six months

Answer: Revoke it for one year

DMV may revoke a driving privilege for one year for an under-21 DUI conviction at 0.01% BAC or higher.

Handbook p. 81 ↗
If a driver under 21's preliminary alcohol screening (PAS) shows 0.05% BAC or higher, what may happen?
  1. The officer may require a breath or blood test
  2. The vehicle is towed automatically
  3. The license is revoked on the spot
  4. No action unless it's 0.08% or higher

Answer: The officer may require a breath or blood test

A PAS reading of 0.05% or higher for an under-21 driver may lead to a required breath or blood test.

Handbook p. 81 ↗
A person under 21 with no license is caught with alcohol in a vehicle. What can happen to their first license?
  1. The court may have DMV delay it up to 1 year
  2. It is delayed until age 21
  3. It is delayed 30 days
  4. It is delayed up to 3 years

Answer: The court may have DMV delay it up to 1 year

If an unlicensed minor is caught with alcohol, the court may ask DMV to delay their first license by up to a year.

Handbook p. 81 ↗
A minor may always carry an open container of alcohol as long as it is less than half full.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

Open alcohol containers must be kept in the trunk or a place passengers don't sit, regardless of how full they are.

Handbook p. 81 ↗
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