Canada Exam Prep
SAAQ Class 5 overview

SAAQ Class 5: Alcohol, drugs and impaired driving

Blood alcohol limits, the zero-alcohol rule for new and young drivers, drug limits, care or control of a vehicle, roadside suspensions, vehicle impoundment and the cost of a first offence.

  • 14 questions
  • Topic drill
0/14
Alcohol, drugs and impaired driving · Question 1Score 0/0

After a first Criminal Code conviction for impaired driving, what is the minimum period before you can get a licence again?

Study reference: SAAQ Driver's Handbook (2nd edition), Ch. 1 The Driver — Criminal Code offences, driving while impaired, alcohol, drugs and medication, pp. 51–57, 66–70; Ch. 6 Offences and Consequences — Penalties and costs of impaired driving, pp. 312–313

All 14 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. After a first Criminal Code conviction for impaired driving, what is the minimum period before you can get a licence again?

    1. One year
    2. Three years
    3. Five years
    4. Six months

  2. A driver is convicted of impaired driving a second time. For how long must they use an alcohol ignition interlock device?

    1. For three years
    2. For five years
    3. For one year
    4. For life

  3. What are the two federal blood THC limits for cannabis used on its own?

    1. 2 ng and 5 ng per ml of blood
    2. 5 ng and 10 ng per ml of blood
    3. 10 ng and 20 ng per ml of blood
    4. 1 ng and 3 ng per ml of blood

  4. For a driver aged 16 to 19, a BAC of just 0.03 raises the risk of a fatal crash by how much?

    1. Three times
    2. Two times
    3. Five times
    4. Ten times

  5. You have had several drinks. What is the only thing that will remove the alcohol from your body?

    1. Strong coffee
    2. A cold shower
    3. Time
    4. A brisk walk

  6. After a party you fall asleep on the back seat of your car, keys in hand, able to start the engine. Can this be treated like impaired driving?

    1. No, you were not in the driver's seat
    2. Yes, it can count as care or control
    3. No, the car was legally parked
    4. No, the engine was not running

  7. You refuse to blow into a screening device when a police officer orders you to. What happens immediately under the Highway Safety Code?

    1. 24-hour suspension and no impoundment
    2. 90-day suspension and 30-day impoundment
    3. 7-day suspension and 7-day impoundment
    4. A fine only, with no suspension

  8. One prescribed limit combines 2.5 ng of THC per ml of blood with alcohol. At what blood alcohol level does it apply?

    1. 50 mg per 100 ml or more
    2. 30 mg per 100 ml or more
    3. 20 mg per 100 ml or more
    4. 80 mg per 100 ml or more

  9. You drive a taxi for work. What happens if you are found driving the taxi with any alcohol in your body?

    1. You get a warning with no penalty
    2. You may not drive it for 24 hours
    3. You may not drive it for 90 days
    4. You may drive it if under 0.05

  10. A probationary licence holder is caught driving after one beer. What Highway Safety Code penalty applies?

    1. 24-hour suspension and a warning
    2. 30-day suspension, 2 points, $100 fine
    3. 90-day suspension, 4 points, $300–$600 fine
    4. 7-day suspension, 3 points, $200 fine

  11. What is the minimum cost of a first impaired-driving offence, not counting lawyer's fees and other variable costs?

    1. $1,750
    2. $500
    3. $1,000
    4. $5,000

  12. A driver with no previous offence is caught with a BAC of 0.17. Besides the 90-day licence suspension, how long is the vehicle impounded?

    1. 90 days
    2. 30 days
    3. It is not impounded
    4. 7 days

  13. Under the Criminal Code, you can be charged if your blood alcohol concentration is over what level?

    1. 0.10 (100 mg per 100 ml)
    2. 0.02 (20 mg per 100 ml)
    3. 0.05 (50 mg per 100 ml)
    4. 0.08 (80 mg per 100 ml)

  14. You are 20 and hold a full driver's licence. How much alcohol may you have in your body when you drive?

    1. Less than 0.05
    2. Less than 0.02
    3. Less than 0.08
    4. None at all

Alcohol, drugs and impaired driving: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Criminal Code offences

  • The Criminal Code is federal and applies in every province and territory.
  • Conviction for certain conveyance offences leads to licence revocation or suspension of the right to obtain one: dangerous driving; failure to stop (police pursuit or accident); BAC and BDC combined at or above the regulated levels; BDC at or above the regulated level; driving or care or control while impaired by alcohol or drugs; driving or care or control with BAC over 0.08 (80 mg per 100 ml of blood); refusing a peace officer's order (breath sample, coordination test).

Minimum period without a licence

  • The longer of the judge's order and the Highway Safety Code period applies.
  • First conviction: 1 year (4 years for failure to stop). Second within 10 years: 3 years (5 years for failure to stop). Third: 5 years.
  • A judge may order longer. Other conditions may apply (e.g. knowledge test).
  • Same penalties for these offences committed in other provinces/territories or reciprocating U.S. states.

Criminal Code: alcohol

  • You can be arrested and convicted with a BAC over 0.08 (80 mg/100 ml).
  • At any time while you drive, police can order you to blow into an approved screening device; if they suspect alcohol, they can also require roadside coordination tests, then arrest you and take you to the station for a breathalyzer.

Drugs and medication

  • Suspected drugs/medication: coordination tests or a saliva test, which can be enough to arrest and require a blood sample.
  • Cannabis (THC) blood levels set by federal regulation: 2 ng/ml; 5 ng/ml; 2.5 ng/ml combined with BAC of 50 mg/100 ml or more.
  • Other federally controlled drugs: any detectable trace can lead to charges (exception: GHB).
  • With reasonable grounds of impairment, police can arrest without any test. Tests can lead to an evaluating officer's tests at the station.
  • Refusing ordered tests is a criminal offence with the stiffest penalties.

Care or control

  • Having care or control while impaired is prohibited, not only driving. Examples: sitting in the driver's seat even if the vehicle is stopped or broken down; being in the vehicle (even asleep in the back) with the possibility of starting it; being near the vehicle, e.g. brushing off snow or loading the trunk.
  • Police assess whether driving was possible and whether there was an intent to drive.

Highway Safety Code measures (Québec)

  • BAC 0.08 or more: immediate 90-day licence suspension; immediate 90-day vehicle impoundment for a repeat offence.
  • BAC 0.16 or more: 90-day suspension; 30-day impoundment (90 for repeat); assessment program; interlock depending on situation.
  • Refusing a peace officer's orders: 90-day suspension; 30-day impoundment (90 for repeat); assessment program; interlock depending on situation.
  • Zero alcohol for drivers under 22, learners and probationary holders: 90-day suspension, 4 demerit points, fine $300 to $600.
  • Zero alcohol for bus, minibus and taxi drivers: 24-hour ban on driving those vehicles.
  • Heavy vehicle drivers, limit 0.05: 24-hour ban on driving those vehicles.
  • Failing evaluating officer's tests (drugs, medication, or alcohol plus drugs): 90-day suspension; 90-day impoundment for repeat.
  • Alternatives: taxi or transit, designated driver, sleep over, drive-home service (Operation Red Nose, Tolérance Zéro).

Fine for drivers subject to zero alcohol

  • Driving or care or control after consuming alcohol (learner, probationary, age 21 or younger, or under 22 with less than 5 years holding only a Class 6D or 8 licence): $300 to $600.

Alcohol

  • In Québec, alcohol is a factor in about 32% of road deaths, 16% of serious injuries and 5% of minor injuries (2006–2010 averages: 185 deaths and over 2,500 injuries a year).
  • A BAC of 0.05 can significantly impair an average adult.
  • Young drivers are more affected: at 0.03, a 16–19-year-old driver has three times the risk of a fatal accident.
  • Effects come faster on an empty stomach or when tired.
  • Host tips include stopping alcohol service at least one hour before the end of the evening.
  • Regular drinkers only get an illusion of sobriety. Food slows absorption but does not prevent a high BAC.
  • The liver eliminates 90% of alcohol at a fixed rate per hour; walks or showers don't help; only time works.

Effects on driving

  • Observation: fixing on one point, poor distance judgment, slower adaptation to darkness and glare, reduced sense of danger.
  • Decisions: slower brain activity, harder to spot problems or decide quickly.
  • Execution: overconfidence, loss of coordination, abrupt imprecise movements.

Drugs and medication

  • All drugs and certain medications (anxiolytics, antidepressants, sedatives) impair driving; combined with alcohol, accident risk rises sharply.
  • Cannabis may be legal but driving under its influence is dangerous and prohibited: lower vigilance, slower reflexes, poor coordination, longer reaction time, missed signs, veering, unsafe passing, longer braking.
  • Minor tranquilizers and sleeping pills can act like alcohol; antihistamines can cause drowsiness. Read the label; ask a doctor or pharmacist.
  • Don't drink alcohol while taking medication; effects multiply.

Penalties and costs, first offence

  • On arrest (Highway Safety Code): suspension of 24 hours or 90 days and 30-day impoundment, depending on situation.
  • After criminal conviction (HSC): revocation of 1 or 3 years or longer; assessment program, Alcofrein, mandatory interlock as applicable.
  • Criminal Code: criminal record, mandatory minimum fine of $1,000, minimum one-year driving prohibition.
  • First offence costs at least $1,750, plus lawyer, interlock, higher insurance premiums, court fees, IVAC contribution.
  • Repeat offence: 90-day impoundment, driving prohibition of at least two years, prison, ban on registering/acquiring/renting a vehicle in your name, alcohol ignition interlock for life.

Study the Alcohol, drugs and impaired driving rules as flashcards →

Other topics

Full practice tests