Alcohol, drugs, phones and fatigue theory test practice
Free, no accountBased on the Rules of the Road
What you need to know
Irish drink-driving limits depend on who you are. Experienced drivers can have no more than 50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. Learners, drivers licensed for 2 years or less, and professional drivers such as taxi, bus and lorry drivers have a lower limit of 20 mg. Alcohol is measured up to 3 hours after driving.
Gardaí can stop you at a mandatory alcohol checkpoint and breathalyse you without any suspicion. Refusing a test is an offence. A conviction for drink-driving means disqualification. The safest rule is simple: if you have been drinking, do not drive, because you cannot judge your own level.
Drugs are covered too, including some prescription medicines. Gardaí can carry out roadside saliva tests for cannabis, cocaine, opiates and benzodiazepines. Driving while impaired by a drug carries a minimum ban of 4 years for a first offence. Always check whether your medicine can make you drowsy.
You must not hold a mobile phone while driving, and reading or sending texts and emails is a court matter. Hands-free use is allowed, but anything that distracts you is risky. Tiredness is just as dangerous: never drive while fighting sleep, and stop somewhere safe if you feel drowsy.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs · Mobile phones · Distractions · Driver tiredness
20 practice questions
Pick an answer to see whether it is right and why.
What is the blood alcohol limit for an experienced driver in Ireland?
Mark one answer · keys A to D
All the questions with answers
1. What is the blood alcohol limit for an experienced driver in Ireland?
Answer: 50 mg per 100 ml
Experienced drivers must not exceed 50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
2. What is the blood alcohol limit for a learner permit holder?
Answer: 20 mg per 100 ml
Learners and other new drivers have the lower limit of 20 mg per 100 ml of blood.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
3. Which driver is subject to the lower alcohol limit?
Answer: A driver licensed for 2 years or less
The lower limit applies to learners and drivers who have held a licence for 2 years or less.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
4. You drive a taxi and have a full licence held for 10 years. Which alcohol limit applies to you?
Answer: The lower 20 mg limit
Professional drivers such as taxi, bus and lorry drivers are held to the lower limit.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
5. Within what time after driving can alcohol levels be measured for the offence?
Answer: 3 hours
The alcohol concentration can be measured within 3 hours after driving.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
6. At a mandatory alcohol checkpoint, can Gardaí breathalyse you without suspecting you have been drinking?
Answer: Yes, any driver can be tested
Gardaí may breathalyse any driver stopped at a mandatory alcohol checkpoint.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
7. A Garda asks you for a breath test at the roadside. What happens if you refuse?
Answer: You are committing an offence
It is an offence to refuse to be tested.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
8. You are at the scene of a crash where someone was injured and needs medical help. What must Gardaí do about alcohol?
Answer: Conduct a preliminary breath test
Gardaí must conduct a preliminary breath test at the scene of a crash where someone is injured and needs medical attention.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
9. You had two drinks and feel fine. What is the safest choice?
Answer: Don't drive, as you cannot judge your own level
You cannot judge your own alcohol level, so the safe choice is not to drive after drinking.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
10. What does a drink-driving conviction automatically lead to?
Answer: Disqualification from driving
All drink-driving convictions result in mandatory disqualification.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
11. Which group of drugs can the roadside saliva test detect?
Answer: Cannabis, cocaine, opiates and benzodiazepines
Roadside saliva tests cover cannabis, cocaine, opiates and benzodiazepines.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
12. Your prescription medicine makes you drowsy. Could driving still be an offence?
Answer: Yes, impairment by any drug can be an offence
Driving while impaired by a drug is an offence, including prescribed medicines.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
13. What is the minimum disqualification for a first offence of driving while impaired by drugs?
Answer: 4 years
The minimum disqualification for a first drug-impaired driving offence is 4 years.
Rules of the Road: Alcohol and drugs
14. Is it legal to hold and use a mobile phone while driving?
Answer: No, it is an offence
Using a hand-held phone while driving is an offence.
Rules of the Road: Mobile phones
15. Which use of a phone is permitted while driving?
Answer: Hands-free use
Hands-free use is allowed, though anything that takes your attention away is still risky.
Rules of the Road: Mobile phones
16. What is the consequence of reading or sending a text or email while driving?
Answer: A court appearance
Texting or emailing while driving means a compulsory court appearance.
Rules of the Road: Mobile phones
17. When may you use a hand-held phone while driving?
Answer: To call 999 or 112 in a genuine emergency
The only exception is calling 999 or 112, or a genuine emergency.
Rules of the Road: Mobile phones
18. You are listening to music in the car. What does the Rules of the Road ask you to do?
Answer: Keep it low enough to hear sirens and horns
Play any in-car system at a volume that still lets you hear emergency sirens and horns.
Rules of the Road: Distractions
19. How far can a car travel during a micro-sleep of just 4 seconds?
Answer: About 100 metres
During even a 4-second micro-sleep a car can travel about 100 metres with nobody in control.
Rules of the Road: Driver tiredness
20. You are only a few minutes from home but feel very sleepy. What should you do?
Answer: Stop in a safe place and rest
Never keep driving while fighting sleep. Many tiredness crashes happen close to the destination, so stop somewhere safe.
Rules of the Road: Driver tiredness
Questions people ask
- What is the drink-driving limit in Ireland?
- For experienced drivers it is 50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. For learners, drivers licensed 2 years or less and professional drivers it is 20 mg.
- Can the Gardaí breathalyse me without a reason?
- Yes. At a mandatory alcohol checkpoint Gardaí can breathalyse any driver without needing to suspect anything.
- Is it illegal to use a mobile phone while driving in Ireland?
- Using a hand-held phone while driving is an offence. Reading or sending texts or emails is more serious and leads to a court appearance.
- Which drugs do roadside saliva tests check for in Ireland?
- Gardaí can test for cannabis, cocaine, opiates such as heroin and morphine, and benzodiazepines.
Other theory test topics
- Learner permits and licences
- Penalty points and offences
- Vehicle safety and passengers
- Speed limits and stopping distances
- Junctions and right of way
- Roundabouts and turning
- Road signs and markings
- Motorways, overtaking and lanes
- Pedestrians, cyclists and other road users
- Parking and stopping
- Hazards, emergencies and breakdowns
Rules summarised from the Rules of the Road (© Road Safety Authority). Questions written by PassRank. These are not the official Driver Theory Test questions.