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South Carolina driving lesson · Be in Shape to Drive

Implied consent & other drugs

A 3-minute lesson from the South Carolina 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
Be in Shape to Drive
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
39, 40

Getting a license comes with an agreement: if an officer suspects impaired driving, you'll be tested. And alcohol isn't the only thing that can impair you. Many legal medicines can too.

Implied consent

By getting a license you've implicitly agreed to a lawfully requested test of your blood, breath or urine for alcohol if suspected of impaired driving.

Handbook p. 39 ↗

Know the rule

An alcohol concentration test is usually a breath, blood or urine test. Under SC's implied consent law, you must take them if a police officer asks.

Handbook p. 39 ↗

Know the rule

Refusing a breath, blood or urine test can cost you your license or driving privileges.

Handbook p. 39 ↗

Know the rule

Implied consent laws vary by state, and the law of the state where you're arrested applies, not the state that issued your license.

Handbook p. 39 ↗

Know the rule

Many prescription and over-the-counter drugs can affect your driving in ways similar to, or worse than, alcohol.

Handbook p. 39 ↗

Over-the-counter drugs:

  • Drugs for headaches, colds, allergies or to calm nerves can make you drowsy
  • Pep pills, "uppers" and diet pills can make you nervous, dizzy and unable to concentrate
  • Those pills may also affect your vision
Handbook p. 40 ↗

Know the rule

Check the label for warnings before taking a drug. If you're unsure it's safe to drive, ask your doctor or pharmacist about side effects.

Handbook p. 40 ↗

Know the rule

Prescription and illegal drugs can affect your reflexes, judgment, vision and alertness in ways similar to alcohol.

Handbook p. 40 ↗

Know the rule

In SC, a conviction for driving under the influence of drugs is treated as a DUI or DUAC conviction.

Handbook p. 40 ↗

Know the rule

Never drink alcohol while taking other drugs. They can multiply alcohol's effects or add effects of their own.

Handbook p. 40 ↗

Put it into practice

You're visiting North Carolina on an SC license and an officer asks you to take a breath test. North Carolina's implied consent law applies, because that's where you were stopped.

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.

SC's implied consent law means that by getting a driver's license, you have consented to:
  1. Testing only after a crash with injuries
  2. A lawful breath, blood, or urine test
  3. A yearly drug test at renewal
  4. A search of your vehicle at any stop

Answer: A lawful breath, blood, or urine test

Under implied consent, getting a license means you consented to a lawfully requested breath, blood, or urine test if suspected of impaired driving.

Handbook p. 39 ↗
SC's implied consent law applies to the state where you got your license, not the state where you are arrested.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

Although implied consent laws vary by state, the law applies to the state where you were arrested, not the state where you got your license.

Handbook p. 39 ↗
Which over-the-counter medicines does the manual warn can make you drowsy and affect your driving?
  1. Fiber and laxative products
  2. Cold, allergy, and headache medicines
  3. Antacids and stomach remedies
  4. Nicotine gum and patches

Answer: Cold, allergy, and headache medicines

Over-the-counter drugs for headaches, colds, allergies, or to calm nerves can make you drowsy and affect your driving.

Handbook p. 40 ↗
In SC, a conviction for driving under the influence of illegal drugs is treated:
  1. As a two-point moving violation
  2. As a drug possession charge instead
  3. The same as a DUI or DUAC conviction
  4. As a reckless driving offense

Answer: The same as a DUI or DUAC conviction

If you are convicted in SC of driving under the influence of drugs, it is treated as a DUI or DUAC conviction.

Handbook p. 40 ↗
You took a new prescription and aren't sure it's safe to drive. What does the manual recommend?
  1. Drive only short distances
  2. Drink coffee before driving
  3. Wait 30 minutes, then drive
  4. Ask your doctor or pharmacist

Answer: Ask your doctor or pharmacist

If you are not sure a drug is safe to take and drive, ask your doctor or pharmacist about known side effects.

Handbook p. 40 ↗
Pep pills, 'uppers,' and diet pills can make you nervous, dizzy, and unable to concentrate, and may affect your vision.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

The manual warns that pep pills, uppers, and diet pills can cause nervousness, dizziness, poor concentration, and vision effects.

Handbook p. 40 ↗
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