Key points
Alcohol and other drugs are contributing factors in about 40% of all fatal crashes.
Source: Handbook p. 3-5
“Alcohol and other drugs are contributing factors in about 40% of all fatal crashes.”
Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 3-5If you are under 21, you may not consume, buy or transport alcohol, so you may not drive after any amount.
Source: Handbook p. 3-6
“It is illegal for those of you who have not reached the age of 21 to consume, purchase or transport any alcoholic beverage. Therefore, you may not drive after consuming any amount of alcohol.”
Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 3-6Vision is impacted at .02 BAC for all drivers.
Source: Handbook p. 3-6
“They reduce your ability to judge distance, speed, and movement. Vision is impacted at .02 BAC for all drivers.”
Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 3-6It takes about 7 seconds to recover from headlight glare, and drinking drivers take longer.
Source: Handbook p. 3-7
“It normally takes about seven seconds for your eyes to recover from headlight glare so at 55 miles per hour that is almost the length of two football fields! The eyes of drinking drivers take significantly longer to adjust to that same glare.”
Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 3-7Your crash chances rise with each drink: about 6 times at 0.10 and 25 times at 0.15.
Source: Handbook p. 3-8
“0.10grams ................ 6 times 0.15grams ................ 25 times”
Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 3-8Over 50% of fatally injured drivers have an alcohol level of .06.
Source: Handbook p. 3-8
“Over 50% of all fatally injured drivers have an alcohol level of .06 grams per 100 milliliters of blood or 210 liters of breath.”
Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 3-8A 12 oz. beer, a 1 oz. shot of 100 proof liquor and a 4 oz. glass of wine hold about the same alcohol.
Source: Handbook p. 3-8
“There is approximately the same amount of alcohol in a 12 oz. can of beer as there is in a 1 oz. shot of 100 proof hard liquor or a 4 oz. glass of table wine”
Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 3-8Nothing but time will sober you up; coffee, cold showers or exercise will not.
Source: Handbook p. 3-8
“Because everyone's liver oxidizes alcohol at a constant rate, nothing but time will sober you up.”
Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 3-8About 8,500 young adults are killed every year due to drinking and driving.
Source: Handbook p. 3-13
“Approximately 8,500 young adults are killed and an additional 40,000 are crippled or disfigured every year due to drinking and driving in this country.”
Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 3-13
Numbers to know
| Number | What it means | Manual |
|---|---|---|
| 40% | share of fatal crashes with alcohol or drugs as a factor | Handbook p. 3-5 |
| 21 | under this age you may not drive after any alcohol | Handbook p. 3-6 |
| .02 | BAC at which vision is impacted | Handbook p. 3-6 |
| 7 seconds | normal time to recover from headlight glare | Handbook p. 3-7 |
| 0.10 = 6 times, 0.15 = 25 times | crash risk multiplier at these alcohol levels | Handbook p. 3-8 |
| 50%, .06 | share of fatally injured drivers at or above this alcohol level | Handbook p. 3-8 |
| 12 oz., 1 oz. of 100 proof, 4 oz. | equal amounts of alcohol in beer, liquor and wine | Handbook p. 3-8 |
| 8,500 (40,000) | young adults killed (and crippled or disfigured) each year from drinking and driving | Handbook p. 3-13 |
3 questions from the Maine practice test
1. In about what share of fatal crashes are alcohol and other drugs contributing factors, according to the Maine handbook?
- About 95 percent
- About 2 percent
- About 40 percent
- About 10 percent
Show answer
About 40 percent. Alcohol and other drugs are contributing factors in about 40 percent of all fatal crashes, and over half of fatally injured drivers have an alcohol level of .06 or more. Roughly 8,500 young adults are killed and 40,000 more crippled or disfigured each year in this country because of drinking and driving. Alcohol is a drug, whatever the container, and it impairs judgment before it impairs coordination.
2. At what BAC does the Maine manual say vision is impacted for all drivers?
- 0.05 BAC
- 0.02 BAC
- 0.08 BAC
- 0.15 BAC
Show answer
0.02 BAC. The manual identifies 0.02 BAC as a level at which vision is impacted for all drivers. The 0.08 figure is associated elsewhere with a criminal OUI threshold, not the point at which visual effects begin. A lower reading can still change focus, distance judgment, or recognition of movement before a driver reaches that legal threshold. Use the number as an early warning rather than a permission level: after consuming alcohol, do not drive. The useful memory cue is that impairment of a key driving sense starts well below the commonly remembered 0.08 figure.
3. What alcohol level do over half of fatally injured drivers have, according to the Maine handbook?
- .06 grams per 100 milliliters of blood or 210 liters of breath
- Zero
- .02
- .20 or higher
Show answer
.06 grams per 100 milliliters of blood or 210 liters of breath. Over 50 percent of all fatally injured drivers have an alcohol level of .06 grams per 100 milliliters of blood or 210 liters of breath, below Maine's .08 limit, which shows impairment starts well before the legal line. Alcohol and drugs contribute to about 40 percent of fatal crashes. There is no safe amount of drinking before driving, and a driver under .08 can still be charged if impaired.
Practice this topic
Lock it in with alcohol and dui questions from the free Maine practice test. Every answer comes with a plain English explanation.
Source: the Maine Driver's License Manual, Section 3: Ready 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.