Colorado: DUI, DWAI & Impaired Driving Questions
5 real, verified Colorado driving-test questions on dui, dwai & impaired driving, each with the correct answer and a full explanation below. Want to practice these interactively instead? Start a DUI, DWAI & Impaired Driving practice round.
1. How does Colorado's DWAI charge differ from its DUI charge, and what BAC is each tied to at a first conviction?
Why: Colorado uses a two-tier system: DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired) applies once a driver's ability is impaired to the slightest degree, associated with a first-offense BAC of 0.05%, while DUI (Driving Under the Influence) applies when the driver is substantially incapable of safe driving, associated with a first-offense BAC of 0.08%.
2. Per the Colorado Driver Handbook's penalty table, how does a first DUI conviction's license consequence compare to a first DWAI conviction's?
Why: Colorado's Table 1 shows a first DUI (0.08% BAC) carrying a 9-month license revocation, while a first DWAI (0.05% BAC) carries no automatic revocation but 8 points toward suspension, alongside smaller fines and jail ranges.
3. What happens under Colorado's express consent law if a driver suspected of impaired driving refuses a chemical test?
Why: Under Colorado's express consent law (C.R.S. 42-4-1301.1), refusing a chemical test when suspected of impaired driving results in a one-year license revocation and a two-year requirement to install an ignition interlock device on any vehicle the person drives.
4. What THC level creates a permissible inference of DUI in Colorado, and does an equivalent level exist for DWAI?
Why: Colorado law creates a permissible inference of DUI at 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood, but there is no equivalent THC permissible-inference level for the lesser DWAI charge, since marijuana impairment varies more by dose, timing, and method of use than alcohol impairment does.
5. What happens to a Colorado driver under 21 who is convicted of DUI or DWAI and fails to complete a court-ordered evaluation or program?
Why: A driver younger than 21 convicted of DUI or DWAI is subject to license revocation on a first conviction if they fail to complete a court-ordered evaluation or program; a second or third conviction under 21 is a mandatory revocation regardless of any program.
More Colorado Topics
- Licensing Process & @HOME Testing (5)
- Minor & Graduated Driver Licensing (6)
- Mountain, Rural & Seasonal Driving (3)
- Parking, Crashes & Enforcement (4)
- Railroads, Light Rail & Emergency Vehicles (5)
- Sharing the Road: Bicycles & Motorcycles (4)
- Signs, Roundabouts & Special Lanes (3)
- Traffic Controls, Signals & Lane Rules (5)
- Other Topics (2)
Rules and requirements change — always confirm current details with Colorado DMVbefore your exam. Take the full Colorado practice test or check the Colorado cheat sheet.