Alcohol, other drugs and the BAC limits

Key points

1. Alcohol and other impairing drugs are involved in about 40% of fatal crashes each year.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “Alcohol and other impairing drugs are involved in approximately 40% of all traffic crashes in which someone is killed each year.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 25

2. Under 21, it is illegal to buy, possess or drink alcohol.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “If you are under the age of 21, it is illegal to purchase, possess, and drink alcoholic beverages.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 25

3. Vision is affected at a BAC of 0.02 for all drivers.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “Vision is impacted at 0.02 blood alcohol content (BAC) for all drivers. The most important sense you use in driving is vision.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 25

4. Impairment starts with the first drink. The best advice is not to drive after drinking or using drugs.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “The best advice is not to drive a vehicle of any kind if you have consumed alcohol or drugs. Impairment starts with the first drink.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 25

5. Never drink while taking other drugs. They can multiply alcohol's effects.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “Never drink alcohol while you are taking other drugs. These drugs could multiply the effects of alcohol or have additional effects of their own.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 25

6. Over the counter drugs for headaches, colds or allergies can make you drowsy and affect your driving.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “Over-the-counter drugs taken for headaches, colds, hay fever, or other allergies or those to calm nerves can make you drowsy and affect your driving.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 25

7. Driving with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or above violates the DUI law.

   Source: Handbook p. 26

   “you are in violation of the DUI law if you operate a vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or above.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 26

8. You can still violate the law under 0.08 if there is evidence of impaired driving.

   Source: Handbook p. 26

   “you could still be in violation of the law with an alcohol concentration under 0.08 if there is evidence of impaired driving”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 26

9. Under 21, an alcohol concentration of 0.02 or more is a violation.

   Source: Handbook p. 26

   “If you are under the age of twenty-one (21), you are in violation of the law with an alcohol concentration of 0.02 or more.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 26

10. A first drug driving conviction brings 48 hours to 30 days in jail and a 30 to 120 day license suspension.

    Source: Handbook p. 26

    “imprisoned in the county jail for not less than forty-eight (48) hours nor more than thirty (30) days, and your license suspended for 30 to 120 days.”
    Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 26

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Kentucky practice test

1. 1. In about what share of fatal crashes are alcohol and other impairing drugs involved, according to the Kentucky manual?

   1. About 5 percent
   2. Approximately 40 percent
   3. About 90 percent
   4. About 15 percent
   Show answer

   Approximately 40 percent. Alcohol and other impairing drugs are involved in approximately 40 percent of all traffic crashes in which someone is killed each year, and thousands of people die nationally in alcohol related collisions. Kentucky applies zero tolerance to drivers under 21, and a refusal to take the breath, blood or urine test can be used against you in court as evidence of DUI.

2. 2. According to the Kentucky manual, when does alcohol impairment begin?

   1. With the first drink
   2. Only after two drinks
   3. Only when a driver feels dizzy
   4. Only after reaching 0.08 BAC
   Show answer

   With the first drink. The manual warns that impairment starts with the first drink, so a driver should not use a personal feeling of sobriety as a safety test. Waiting for dizziness overlooks earlier effects on judgment and driving ability. The 0.08 figure is a legal threshold discussed elsewhere, not a promise that lower amounts are harmless. A practical cue is to arrange a sober ride before drinking rather than trying to calculate a safe number of drinks afterward.

3. 3. For a person under 21 in Kentucky, which alcohol-related conduct does the manual identify as illegal?

   1. Drinking only in a parked vehicle
   2. Purchasing, possessing, and drinking alcoholic beverages
   3. Purchasing alcohol only with a passenger present
   4. Possessing alcohol only after midnight
   Show answer

   Purchasing, possessing, and drinking alcoholic beverages. The manual states that people under 21 may not purchase, possess, or drink alcoholic beverages. The rule is about the person’s age and the listed conduct, not whether the vehicle is moving, whether another passenger is present, or what time it is. Treating a parked car as an exception would still miss the possession and drinking restrictions. If a young driver is around alcohol, the safest response is not to buy, hold, or consume it.

Source: the Kentucky Driver Manual, Section Three: Be in Shape to Drive. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.