Impaired Driving & Penalties — Virginia
Virginia CDL practice test: 417 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: 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 | Virginia CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 16 (4% of 417 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 (16)
1. If asked by a law enforcement officer to take a test to determine your blood alcohol concentration (BAC):
- You can refuse to take the test without a penalty.
- You can refuse taking the test but will be required to pay a $50 fine.
- You will lose your CDL if you refuse to take the test. ✓
Answer: C. You will lose your CDL if you refuse to take the test.
If an officer asks you to take a BAC test, refusing will cost you your CDL. The handbook explains that driving a commercial motor vehicle in the state means you have already agreed to submit to a chemical test of breath, blood, or urine to measure BAC or detect drugs. Because that consent is implied by the act of driving, saying no to the test is treated as a serious matter: the handbook states plainly that refusing a BAC test while operating a CMV results in losing your CDL for a period set by law. The length of that loss is not given here, only that it happens.
2. Distracted driving:
- Can be avoided by eating while driving.
- Can be increased by pre-programming radio stations.
- Can be avoided by not engaging in complex conversations with others. ✓
Answer: C. Can be avoided by not engaging in complex conversations with others.
Distracted driving can be avoided by staying out of complex conversations with other people. The handbook advises drivers not to take part in complex or emotionally intense conversations with others in the vehicle. It places that advice in a list of steps for reducing distraction, together with setting up radio stations and route planning before driving and avoiding eating, drinking, and smoking at the wheel. The common thread is to keep driving from competing with a demanding side activity.
3. Which of the following is not a sign of fatigue?
- Difficulty focusing, with frequent blinking
- Yawning repeatedly or rubbing eyes
- Staying in your lane ✓
Answer: C. Staying in your lane
Staying in your lane is not a sign of fatigue — drifting out of your lane is. The handbook lists the warning signs of tired driving, and among them is drifting from your lane, along with trouble remembering the last few miles, missing exits or signs, following too closely, or hitting a shoulder rumble strip. It also mentions feeling restless and irritable. Holding a steady position in your lane is normal driving, not a fatigue signal. The handbook adds that pushing on while tired is more dangerous than most drivers think and is a major cause of fatal crashes, so any sign of fatigue means you should stop and sleep or take a short nap.
4. Alcohol can be removed from your system:
- By exercising.
- By drinking coffee.
- By waiting. ✓
Answer: C. By waiting.
Alcohol can be removed from your system only by waiting. The handbook explains that alcohol enters the bloodstream and is processed by the liver at a fixed rate. It says the liver handles only a small amount per hour, so the process cannot be rushed. The passage specifically says that time, not black coffee or a cold shower, will sober you up. That makes waiting the only listed way for alcohol to leave your system. The handbook does not mention exercise as a way to remove alcohol, and it directly rules out coffee as a sober-up method.
5. The effects of alcohol are felt:
- With the first drink. ✓
- Only after several drinks have been consumed.
- At the legal limit.
Answer: A. With the first drink.
The effects of alcohol are felt with the first drink. The handbook ties alcohol's effects to drinking itself, not to a later threshold. It says alcohol changes human performance and that every driver is affected by drinking. It also describes early signs such as a mellow feeling and slight body warmth, followed by weaker coordination and judgment as blood alcohol rises. Nothing in the passages sets a minimum number of drinks before effects appear, and the legal limit is not described as the point where effects start. So the choice that fits the handbook is that the first drink is enough.
6. If you are feeling tired and yawning a lot while you are driving, you should:
- Pull over and take a nap. ✓
- Get some coffee.
- Drive faster.
Answer: A. Pull over and take a nap.
You should pull over and take a nap. Yawning a lot is a sign of fatigue, and the handbook says to stop driving when you notice any sign of fatigue. It tells tired drivers to sleep for the night or take a short nap of about 15 to 20 minutes. The handbook also says forcing yourself to continue when tired is more dangerous than many people realize and is a major cause of deadly crashes. So the safe action is to get off the road and rest, not to keep driving.
7. One way to prevent fatigue on long trips is to:
- Take frequent breaks. ✓
- Text while driving.
- Drink caffeine.
Answer: A. Take frequent breaks.
Taking frequent breaks is the recommended way to prevent fatigue on long trips. The handbook lists reducing fatigue risk by taking periodic breaks, roughly every 100 miles or every 2 hours on a long trip. It also tells you to stop driving and rest or nap when you notice signs of tiredness. Caffeine gets its own warning: it may boost awareness for a few hours, but the effect wears off, so the handbook says not to count on it to prevent fatigue. Rest breaks are the method the handbook actually endorses.
8. Texting while driving is:
- Safer than talking on the phone while driving.
- About as safe as talking on the phone while driving.
- More distracting than talking on the phone while driving. ✓
Answer: C. More distracting than talking on the phone while driving.
Texting while driving is more distracting than talking on the phone while driving. The handbook says texting is riskier than a phone conversation. It explains that texting makes you look at a small screen and work the keypad with your hands. The handbook also calls texting the most alarming distraction because it involves physical and mental distraction at the same time. That directly supports the answer that texting is more distracting than talking on a phone.
9. Texting while driving is especially dangerous because:
- It is both a mental and physical distraction. ✓
- A message may be upsetting to the driver.
- People like to read and may become too engaged in their phones.
Answer: A. It is both a mental and physical distraction.
Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it is both a mental and physical distraction. The handbook says texting makes you look at a small screen and work the keypad with your hands. That takes your eyes and hands away from driving, while your mind is also busy with the message. The handbook calls this a physical and mental distraction happening at the same time. It also says texting is riskier than talking on a cell phone for this reason. That combination is what makes texting especially dangerous, so the answer that names both kinds of distraction fits the handbook.
10. If approaching a vehicle with a distracted driver, you should:
- Quickly pass the vehicle.
- Maintain a safe distance from the vehicle. ✓
- Closely follow the vehicle.
Answer: B. Maintain a safe distance from the vehicle.
When you approach a vehicle whose driver seems distracted, keep a safe distance back from it. The handbook tells you to give a distracted driver plenty of room and hold your normal safe following distance. It also warns that these drivers drift over lane lines or within their lane and run at inconsistent speeds, so staying back gives you room to see and react. The handbook adds that passing such a driver calls for extra care, because they may not notice you and may drift in front of you. Space is the protection it recommends, so holding a safe distance is the right choice.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook