Alcohol, BAC limits and implied consent

Key points

1. The legal drinking age is 21, and drunk drivers cause more than half of fatal collisions.

   Source: Handbook p. 57

   “In Rhode Island, the legal drinking age is twenty-one (21). Drunk drivers cause more than half of the collisions in which somebody is killed.”
   Rhode Island Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 57

2. If you drink even a little, your chance of a collision is 7 times greater.

   Source: Handbook p. 57

   “If you drink, even just a little, your chances of a collision are seven (7) times greater than if you don’t drink.”
   Rhode Island Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 57

3. A 12 ounce beer, a 4 to 5 ounce glass of wine and a 1 to 1 1/2 ounce shot have about the same alcohol.

   Source: Handbook p. 57

   “A 12 ounce container of beer, a 4 to 5 ounce glass of wine and a 1 to 1 1/2 ounce shot of hard liquor have about the same amount of alcohol.”
   Rhode Island Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 57

4. Only time reduces the effects of alcohol; coffee, food, fresh air or exercise will not sober someone up.

   Source: Handbook p. 57

   “After drinking, there is nothing that will reduce the effects of alcohol except time. Coffee, food, fresh air, or exercise might wake an intoxicated person up, but it will not sober them up.”
   Rhode Island Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 57

5. Any driver with a BAC of .08% or more is charged with Driving Under the Influence.

   Source: Handbook p. 58

   “Any person of any age with a BAC of .08% or more is intoxicated and will be charged with drunk driving”
   Rhode Island Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 58

6. Under 21, a BAC of .02% but less than .08% is Driving While Impaired.

   Source: Handbook p. 58

   “Any person under the age of twenty-one (21) with a BAC of .02% but less than .08% is impaired and will be charged with Driving While Impaired (DWI).”
   Rhode Island Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 58

7. By driving in Rhode Island you give implied consent to a chemical test if arrested for impaired driving.

   Source: Handbook p. 58

   “Implied consent means that any person who drives a motor vehicle in Rhode Island has given consent to a chemical (breathalyzer-blood-urine) test”
   Rhode Island Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 58

8. Refusing a chemical test brings at least a 6 month suspension plus fines and other penalties.

   Source: Handbook p. 58

   “If you refuse to take a chemical test, your license will be suspended for a minimum of six months. You are also subject to a fine, a highway safety assessment, public community service, and drunk driving school and/or referral to an alcohol treatment program.”
   Rhode Island Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 58

9. Combining alcohol with another drug can multiply the effects.

   Source: Handbook p. 57

   “Combining alcohol with another drug can cause a synergistic (additive) effect, whereby the effects are multiplied.”
   Rhode Island Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 57

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Rhode Island practice test

1. 1. According to Rhode Island's alcohol laws, what birthday marks the legal drinking age?

   1. The 18th birthday
   2. The 19th birthday
   3. The 21st birthday
   4. The 25th birthday
   Show answer

   The 21st birthday. Rhode Island's manual uses the twenty-first birthday as the dividing point in its underage alcohol provisions. That age matters when reading the separate DWI and DUI categories, but it does not mean a driver should use age alone to judge whether driving is safe. The 18th and 19th birthdays do not end the under-21 rules, while 25 has no role in the cited provision. When studying the table, pair the age boundary with the BAC range instead of treating the number as a permission to drive after drinking.

2. 2. A Rhode Island driver under 21 has a BAC of .05%. What charge applies?

   1. Nothing, .05% is under the legal limit
   2. Only a parking-level infraction
   3. Driving Under the Influence, the same as .08%
   4. Driving While Impaired, because .02% to under .08% is impaired for drivers under 21
   Show answer

   Driving While Impaired, because .02% to under .08% is impaired for drivers under 21. Rhode Island uses two thresholds. Any person of any age with a BAC of .08% or more is intoxicated and charged with drunk driving, DUI. Any person under 21 with a BAC of .02% but less than .08% is impaired and will be charged with Driving While Impaired, DWI. A .05% reading is above the .02% line, so the under 21 driver faces a DWI charge even though an adult at .05% would not face DUI.

3. 3. What is the minimum license suspension in Rhode Island for refusing a chemical test?

   1. 30 days
   2. One year
   3. Two years
   4. Six months
   Show answer

   Six months. If you refuse to take a chemical test, your license will be suspended for a minimum of six months. Refusal also brings a fine, a highway safety assessment, public community service, and drunk driving school or referral to an alcohol treatment program. The penalty applies whether or not you would have passed the test. One and two years are DUI conviction figures at higher BAC levels, and 30 days is not a refusal penalty.

Source: the Rhode Island Driver's Manual, X. Drinking and Driving. 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.