Drinking and driving — Virginia Permit Test
Drinking and driving on the Virginia permit test — 9 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
A driver aged 21 or older is driving under the influence if their blood alcohol content is .08 percent or higher.
It is the line the law draws, and being under it is not the same as being safe.
drivers age 21 or older are considered to be driving under the influence (DUI) if your blood alcohol content (BAC) is .08 percent or higher
You can be convicted of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content below .08 percent if your driving is impaired.
The test is whether you were driving badly, not only what the machine read.
If your driving is impaired, you can be convicted of driving under the influence with a BAC lower than .08 percent.
Twelve ounces of beer contains about the same alcohol as a shot of liquor or a five-ounce glass of wine.
The glass looks different but the alcohol inside is the same, so the count is the same.
Twelve ounces of beer is the same as a shot of liquor or a five-ounce glass of wine.
Only time can reduce intoxication; coffee, a cold shower and exercise will not sober you up.
Your body clears alcohol at its own pace and nothing speeds it up.
Only time can decrease intoxication. Coffee, cold showers or exercise will not sober you up.
Your chance of being in a crash is seven times greater if you drive after drinking than if you drive sober.
Alcohol takes away judgment first, which is the part that would have told you to stop.
your chances of being in a crash are seven times greater if you drive after drinking than if you drive sober
Even one alcoholic drink can affect your driving, because a small amount of alcohol already affects vision, judgment and coordination.
The three things it hits first are the three things driving needs most.
even a small amount of alcohol affects the brain's functions – particularly vision, judgment, and coordination
Combining alcohol with another drug usually multiplies the effects of both, and one drink taken with even an aspirin or a cold medicine can affect driving like several drinks.
The two together do more than the two added up.
Combining alcohol with other drugs usually multiplies the effects of both and can have a disastrous effect on your ability to drive.
Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal in Virginia even though possession over the age of 21 is legal.
Legal to have and legal to drive on are two different questions.
Although the possession of marijuana and marijuana products (over the age of 21) is legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is still illegal.
Many over-the-counter and prescription medicines for headaches, colds, allergies and nervous conditions can cause drowsiness and slow your reaction time.
A medicine that makes you sleepy at home does the same thing at the wheel.
medications and prescription drugs for headaches, hay fever, colds, allergies or nervous conditions can cause drowsiness and dizziness.
On the test
At what blood alcohol content is a driver aged 21 or older considered under the influence?
.08 percent or higher. It is the line the law draws, and being under it is not the same as being safe. Virginia Driver's Manual, p.24: “drivers age 21 or older are considered to be driving under the influence (DUI) if your blood alcohol content (BAC) is .08 percent or higher”
How this works
Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.
You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.
Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.
What it costs
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Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against Virginia Driver's Manual, published by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-06.