Alcohol and drugs
You are convicted of a DUI in California. What does DMV do to your driving privilege, and what must you do?
- Suspend or revoke it for one year; you must complete a DUI program. Correct answer
- Suspend it for 30 days; you must complete a DUI program.
- Suspend or revoke it for one year; you must install an ignition interlock device.
Why
A conviction costs a year of driving: DMV suspends or revokes the privilege for twelve months. Three things become obligations at the same time, and completing a DUI program is the first of them, alongside filing a California Insurance Proof Certificate (SR 22 or SR 1P) and paying any license reissue or restriction fees. The ignition interlock device is the fourth item on that list and the handbook words it differently: you may be required to install one, not you must. That distinction is what separates the first answer from the third. Thirty days is a real figure here but it belongs to the arrest, not the conviction: an officer may take your license and hand you a temporary one good for 30 days. Additional penalties can include up to six months in jail and a fine.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, DL 600 ENGLISH (REV. 6/2025). The correct answer is Suspend or revoke it for one year; you must complete a DUI program..