Alcohol and drugs
What does the handbook say about how age affects a driver's tolerance to alcohol?
- Tolerance drops with age, which raises the risk of alcohol-related driving problems. Correct answer
- Tolerance rises with age, so older drivers are less affected.
- Age makes no difference; only body weight and gender change the effect.
Why
As people get older their tolerance for alcohol goes down, and the handbook ties that drop to a higher risk of alcohol-related trouble behind the wheel, so the second answer is backwards. Body weight and gender do appear in the handbook's BAC table, but they are not the whole story, and the table is an estimate, not a drinking guide: even one drink can affect your driving, and a BAC under the legal limit does not make you safe to drive. Medicines count as well. Cough syrup is listed as alcohol in another form, and prescription or over-the-counter drugs that affect your driving fall under the same DUI law.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Tolerance drops with age, which raises the risk of alcohol-related driving problems.
The rule behind this one
California alcohol and drug rules for drivers goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on alcohol and drugs
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- In which of these vehicles does the open container rule for alcohol NOT apply to a passenger?
- You are 35, not on DUI probation, and drive for a ride service, carrying a passenger who pays for the trip. At what blood alcohol concentration (BAC) does it become illegal for you to drive?
- Can you be convicted of DUI if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was never measured?