Impaired Driving & Penalties — North Carolina
North Carolina CDL practice test: 460 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Impaired Driving & Penalties: 13 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 | North Carolina CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 13 (3% of 460 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
Not yet verified
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Questions (13)
1. A distracted driver:
- Usually follows the rules of the road.
- Usually has slowed perception. ✓
- Is a good person to follow.
Answer: B. Usually has slowed perception.
A distracted driver usually has slowed perception. The handbook lists slowed perception as one effect of distracted driving. It explains that this can make a driver late to notice, or miss entirely, something important happening in traffic. The same section also mentions delayed decisions and wrong inputs to steering, accelerator, or brakes. Because the manual ties distraction to slowed perception, the statement about slowed perception fits.
2. Which of the following is not an example of a distracted person that motorists should be worried about?
- A driver talking to a passenger in their vehicle
- A child on the side of the road
- A construction worker on the side of the road
- A person sitting on a bench waiting for a bus ✓
Answer: D. A person sitting on a bench waiting for a bus
3. An open automobile window in cold weather may indicate that the driver is:
- Driving impaired. ✓
- Inappropriately dressed.
- Using the heat inside their vehicle.
- Enjoying the fresh air.
Answer: A. Driving impaired.
An open window in cold weather may mean the driver is driving impaired. The handbook puts an open window in cold weather in the same short list as speeding up or slowing down suddenly and driving too fast or too slow, right before it tells you to watch for drunk and sleepy drivers late at night. In that section the open window is treated as a clue about the driver's condition, not as a comfort choice, so the handbook answer is that it points to impairment. The passage does not explain the reason behind the clue, only that you should notice it.
4. To prevent fatigue while driving, you should:
- Keep the cab warm.
- Keep the cab cool. ✓
- Keep the cab poorly ventilated.
- Close the vents.
Answer: B. Keep the cab cool.
Keep the cab cool — the handbook's alertness list says to keep cool by opening a window or running the air conditioner. The fatigue section of the handbook gives a short list of things you can do to stay alert behind the wheel, and one of those items is to keep cool by opening the window or using the air conditioner. That cooling advice sits right alongside other alertness habits such as wearing sunglasses against glare and eyestrain, taking periodic breaks, and stopping to rest or nap. Since the handbook names keeping cool as the way to help maintain alertness, keeping the cab cool is the choice that matches it.
5. To best reduce the distractions of a cell phone, you should:
- Stay on a single call for an entire trip.
- Turn the phone off before driving. ✓
- Only us the phone to accept incoming calls.
- Use the phone to text rather than talk.
Answer: B. Turn the phone off before driving.
6. Which of the following indicates drowsy driving?
- Eyes going out of focus by themselves
- Having trouble keeping your head up
- Drifting from lane to lane
- All of the above ✓
Answer: D. All of the above
7. A distracted driver:
- Usually reacts well to hazards.
- Usually has slowed perception. ✓
- Is usually aware of what is happening around them.
- Is a good person to follow.
Answer: B. Usually has slowed perception.
A distracted driver usually has slowed perception, so they may notice hazards late or miss them entirely. The handbook lists slowed perception as an effect of distracted driving. It says this can delay you in perceiving an important traffic event or make you fail to perceive it at all. The same section also mentions delayed decision making and improper action, which means distraction affects how you take in and respond to what is happening. Because the handbook ties distracted driving to slowed perception and increased risk, the answer that says perception is usually slowed fits directly.
8. How could you reduce your stress while driving?
- Drink a caffeinated beverage
- Talk on your cell phone
- Gesture at other drivers
- Listen to calming music ✓
Answer: D. Listen to calming music
Listening to calming music, such as easy listening, is a way to reduce your stress while driving. The handbook's section on not being an aggressive driver tells you to reduce stress before and while you drive, and one of its listed steps is to listen to easy listening music. The same passage pairs this with giving the drive your full attention and not letting cell phone talk or eating distract you. So calming music is the stress-reducer the handbook names, while the other choices either add distraction or make things worse.
9. Reading a text message while driving is:
- Encouraged.
- Allowed only if you are not pulling a trailer.
- Illegal. ✓
Answer: C. Illegal.
Reading a text message while driving is illegal. The handbook tells CMV drivers not to read or type text on a mobile device while driving, and it defines texting to include reading text from an electronic device. Federal rules cited in the handbook prohibit texting by CMV drivers operating in interstate commerce, and carriers may not require or allow it. So reading a message is not a permitted convenience; it falls under the banned behavior. The passages make no exception for whether a trailer is attached.
10. Which of the following is not a sign of a person being drowsy?
- Frequent blinking
- Drifting from your lane
- Feeling hungry ✓
- Yawning
Answer: C. Feeling hungry
Feeling hungry is not a sign of drowsiness; the handbook's fatigue warnings include drifting from your lane and feeling restless or irritable. Feeling hungry is not among the fatigue warning signs the Texas CDL Handbook gives. The handbook tells drivers to stop and rest when they notice signs such as drifting from the lane, following too closely, hitting a shoulder rumble strip, trouble remembering the last few miles, missing exits or signs, or feeling restless and irritable. It describes fatigue as physical or mental tiredness that impairs vision and judgment. Hunger is not listed as an alertness warning, while lane drifting is directly named.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook