A 3-minute lesson from the Missouri course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Alcohol and drugs, even medicine, impair driving, and Missouri's penalties are tough. It starts at the roadside: if an officer suspects impairment, field tests and a chemical test can follow, and your license can be taken right there.
An officer who suspects you've been drinking may ask you to do tests like walking heel to toe or standing on one leg. These help decide whether to arrest you and give a chemical test of your breath, blood or urine.
If your BAC is .08% or more (.02% or more for minors), the officer takes your license and gives you a notice that it will be suspended or revoked after 15 days.
There are two types of action for driving when you're not fit to drive: administrative actions and court-convicted actions. They carry different penalties.
Administrative action: a second offense within a 5-year period brings a one-year license revocation, and an ignition interlock device is required for reinstatement.
If you injure or kill someone while driving under the influence, you may spend two to seven years in jail, pay a $5,000 fine, and/or lose your license for five years.
It's illegal to possess or purchase alcohol under 21. Even one drink is likely to affect your driving, and two drinks could put you over the legal limit.
You're 19 and test at .03% after one beer. That's over the .02% limit for drivers under 21. The officer takes your license, and after 15 days it will be suspended or revoked unless a hearing you request says otherwise.
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.
What is the illegal Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level for a driver 21 or older in Missouri?
0.02% or more
0.04% or more
0.08% or more
0.10% or more
Answer: 0.08% or more
It is illegal to drive with a BAC of 0.08% or more for drivers 21 and older.