Ohio DMV Permit Test OVI: Alcohol and Drug Laws Summary

Ohio's OVI law (operating a vehicle impaired) makes it illegal to drive with a BAC of 0.08% or more. A driver can also be charged at a lower level if alcohol or drugs affect their driving.

Wrong choices

• 0.02% or more: 0.02% is the limit for drivers under 21.
• 0.10% or more: 0.10% is above Ohio's limit. 0.08% is already illegal.
• 0.15% or more: 0.15% is not the number in Ohio's OVI law. The basic limit is 0.08%.

Ohio law makes it illegal for a driver under 21 to drive with a BAC of 0.02% or more. At 0.08% or more, the regular OVI law applies as well.

Wrong choices

• 0.05%: 0.05% is not Ohio's limit for young drivers. The limit is 0.02%.
• 0.08%: 0.08% is the limit for drivers 21 and older.
• 0.10%: 0.10% is higher than both of Ohio's limits.

Only time lowers the alcohol level in the body. Coffee, cold showers, and fresh air may make a person feel more awake, but they do not remove alcohol or make driving safe.

Wrong choices

• Black coffee: Coffee may make a person more alert but does not lower the BAC.
• Fresh air: Fresh air does not lower the BAC.
• A cold shower: A cold shower does not remove alcohol from the body.

Under Ohio's implied consent law, anyone who drives in Ohio is deemed to have consented to a chemical test (blood, breath, or urine, among others) if arrested for OVI. Refusing brings an administrative license suspension.

Wrong choices

• A police officer must have your written consent before any test: No written consent is needed. Consent is implied by driving.
• You may refuse any chemical test without any penalty: Refusing a test brings a license suspension.
• You must agree to have your car searched any time you are stopped: The law is about chemical tests for alcohol and drugs, not searching your car.

For a first refusal of a chemical test, Ohio law imposes an administrative license suspension of one year (a class C suspension). Refusals or OVI convictions in the past 10 years make it longer.

Wrong choices

• 90 days: 90 days (three months) is the suspension for a first failed test, not a refusal.
• 6 months: 6 months is not the period for a first refusal.
• 3 years: 3 years applies only after several prior refusals or convictions.

Ohio's OVI law makes it illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or a combination of them. Read medicine labels and do not drive if a medicine makes you drowsy or affects your driving.

Wrong choices

• No, if the medicine is legal there is no offense: A medicine being legal does not make impaired driving legal.
• Only if the driver also has a BAC of 0.08% or more: A driver can be impaired by drugs with no alcohol at all.
• No, OVI covers only alcohol: OVI includes drugs, not only alcohol.

For drivers under 21, Ohio's limit is 0.02%, so a BAC of 0.05% is against the law. The other statements are true.

Wrong choices

• A driver 21 or older with a BAC of 0.08% or more is violating the OVI law: This is true. 0.08% is the limit for drivers 21 and older.
• Only time can lower a person's blood alcohol level: This is true. Coffee and fresh air do not lower BAC.
• A first refusal of a chemical test brings a one-year administrative suspension: This is true. A first refusal brings a one-year suspension.

When a test shows a BAC of 0.08% or more and the driver has no OVI in the past 10 years, Ohio law imposes an administrative license suspension of three months (a class E suspension). A refusal brings a longer suspension.

Wrong choices

• 30 days: 30 days is shorter than Ohio's three-month period.
• 1 year: 1 year is the suspension for a first refusal.
• 2 years: 2 years applies only when there are prior OVI convictions.

For a first OVI conviction, Ohio law requires a court suspension of 1 to 3 years, a fine of $565 to $1,075, and a mandatory three days in jail or a three-day driver intervention program. The court may grant limited driving privileges.

Wrong choices

• 30 to 90 days: 30 to 90 days is far shorter than the law requires.
• 6 months to 1 year: 6 months to 1 year is shorter than the 1-to-3-year range.
• Lifetime: Lifetime suspensions are not the rule for a first offense.