Impaired Driving & Penalties — British Columbia
British Columbia ICBC knowledge test practice: 343 free practice questions (178 official sample questions · Official driver handbook). Official test format: Class 7 passenger: 50 Q, pass 40 (80%); motorcycle 40/32; Class 1 60/48; Class 2-4 35/28; air brake 25/20. Impaired Driving & Penalties: 16 questions.
Blood alcohol limits, drugs and fatigue, licence suspensions, demerit points and fines.
This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.
| Topic / Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | Impaired Driving & Penalties |
| License test | British Columbia Class 7 learner (L) knowledge test |
| Topic questions | 16 (5% of 343 total) |
| Review status | This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines. |
Official handbook
icbc.com ✓ Verified from official source
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Questions (16)
1. Which of the following is the LEAST likely to be a sign that a driver is impaired by alcohol?
- Faster than usual reaction time. ✓
- A tendency to stare.
- Loss of peripheral vision.
- Loss of depth perception.
Answer: A. Faster than usual reaction time.
Faster than usual reaction time is the least likely sign of alcohol impairment, because alcohol slows reaction time rather than speeding it up. The handbook describes a driver impaired by drugs or alcohol as one of the worst driving hazards, and gives the reason: these substances cause mental confusion and slow reaction times. A quicker-than-normal reaction time runs against that. The other choices describe losses or changes in what a driver takes in and how they respond, which fits the handbook's picture of a confused, slowed driver far better than a speeded-up reaction does.
2. Are you allowed to hold your cell phone to look at a text or listen to voice mail while stopped at a red light?
- No. You may not hold and operate a hand held device at any time while driving. This includes when stopped at a red light. ✓
- Yes, but only if the light has just turned red.
- You may hold your phone listen to a voice mail message only.
- You may read a quick text only.
Answer: A. No. You may not hold and operate a hand held device at any time while driving. This includes when stopped at a red light.
No. You may not hold and operate a hand-held device at any time while driving, including when you are stopped at a red light. The handbook says all B.C. drivers, including GLP drivers, are banned from using hand-held electronic devices while driving. It specifically lists operating, viewing or holding a hand-held cellphone, and sending or reading texts. It also says the law applies whenever you are in control of the vehicle, even when stopped at a red light or in bumper-to-bumper traffic. A red light does not create an exception for holding your phone to check a text or listen to messages. For learner and novice drivers, the device restrictions are even broader.
3. It is NOT correct that someone who has been drinking alcohol
- drives better because they are more relaxed ✓
- becomes more impulsive
- becomes less coordinated
- has slower reaction time
Answer: A. drives better because they are more relaxed
4. Are you allowed to read a text while stopped in heavy traffic?
- No. You may not operate a hand held device at any time while driving. This includes while stopped in heavy traffic. ✓
- Yes, but only if you know you will be stopped for several minutes.
- Yes, but you must have been stopped for at least a minute before you can use your phone.
- You may only listen to a message. This allows you to keep your eyes on traffic.
Answer: A. No. You may not operate a hand held device at any time while driving. This includes while stopped in heavy traffic.
No — reading a text while stopped in heavy traffic is not allowed; you cannot use or hold a hand-held device while you are in control of the vehicle. The handbook says B.C. law does not let drivers use hand-held electronic devices behind the wheel. It names sending or reading emails or texts as things you may not do. The rule covers you whenever you are in control, even if traffic has you sitting still at a red light. Heavy traffic does not make reading a text allowed. So the fact that you are stopped in a long line of cars does not create an exception.
5. Which of the following is likely to indicate alcohol impairment?
- Poor speed and distance judgement. ✓
- Driving too fast.
- Playing very loud music.
- Complaining about other drivers.
Answer: A. Poor speed and distance judgement.
Poor speed and distance judgement is the likely sign of alcohol impairment. The handbook says a driver impaired by alcohol or drugs has mental confusion and slower reactions, and it treats impaired driving as a serious hazard. It also lists lack of judgment among impairment effects. Judging speed and distance takes clear thinking and quick reactions, so poor speed and distance judgement fits that picture. The passages do not give a specific list of alcohol tell-tales, so this is an inference from what they say about impairment rather than an exact statement.
6. What should you think and do when you hear the sound of a text message when driving?
- I think, "I must focus on driving and can resist looking at the message until later". ✓
- I think, "I will wait until I am at a stop light, then I can quickly and safely look at the text message".
- I think, "I am on a freeway with little traffic, I can quickly look at the message".
- I think, "I can do many things at once. I can drive and safely text".
Answer: A. I think, "I must focus on driving and can resist looking at the message until later".
You should think that you must focus on driving and can resist looking at the message until later. The handbook tells you to leave your phone alone while driving, turn it off and put it where it won't distract you, and to ignore text messages. It states that no message or call matters enough to put your life at risk. If you do need to use the phone, the handbook says to pull over and stop first. The safe decision is to keep your attention on the road and not look at the message, which is what the correct choice describes.
7. Can I use my cell phone to make an emergency call to the police?
- Yes, in an emergency situation you may use your cell phone if you can do it safely. ✓
- You must get out of the car before you can call.
- Only if you use the hands free option.
- Even if it is an emergency you cannot use a hand held device while driving.
Answer: A. Yes, in an emergency situation you may use your cell phone if you can do it safely.
8. When people have been drinking alcohol, they may think, INCORRECTLY, that
- their mental ability is sharp ✓
- their concentration is reduced
- their reflexes are slower
- they are more easily angered
Answer: A. their mental ability is sharp
People who have been drinking may wrongly believe that their mental ability is sharp. The handbook lists the symptoms of an impaired driver, and among them is the belief that your thinking is sharp even though you can no longer make sound driving decisions. That is the incorrect belief the question asks about: alcohol has already blurred the person's judgment, so the person misjudges their own skill. The same list shows the real effects that go with it, such as unclear reasoning and reduced concentration.
9. Which of the following is true?
- Only time will reduce the effects of alcohol. ✓
- Alcohol affects you less if you drink with a full stomach.
- Beer doesn't affect you as much as other drinks.
- Coffee will reduce the effects of alcohol.
Answer: A. Only time will reduce the effects of alcohol.
Only time will reduce the effects of alcohol — nothing you eat or drink speeds it up. The handbook states plainly that only time can sober you up or lower your blood alcohol content, and it lists food, coffee, cold showers and exercise as things that do not speed up how your body clears alcohol. It also notes that a glass of beer holds the same alcohol as a glass of wine or an average cocktail, so the type of drink does not change the effect. That leaves time as the one thing that works.
10. Which of the following will help you to sober up after drinking alcohol?
- Time. ✓
- Fresh air.
- Playing very loud music.
- Coffee.
Answer: A. Time.
Only time will help you sober up after drinking alcohol. The handbook is direct about this: only time can sober you up or lower your blood alcohol content. It says plainly that food, coffee, cold showers or exercise do not speed up how fast your body clears alcohol. So the things people usually reach for to feel more alert do not actually change your BAC — your body simply needs time to process the alcohol. That is why the answer here is time and nothing else.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · 178 official sample questions · Official driver handbook