alcohol and the young driver

The legal age to purchase any alcoholic beverage in North Carolina is 21. It is against the law for any person who is younger than 21 years of age to purchase or to attempt to purchase alcohol.

The law requires a one-year driver license revocation upon conviction for:

• Any underage person who attempts to purchase or purchases an alcoholic beverage;

• Any underage person who aids or abets another who attempts to purchase or purchases an alcoholic beverage;

• Any underage person who obtains or attempts to obtain alcoholic beverages by using or attempting to use a fraudulent driver license or other ID or another person’s driver license or ID; or

• Any person who permits his or her driver license or any other ID to be used by an underage person to purchase or attempt to purchase an alcoholic beverage.

• Any person who gives an alcoholic beverage to any underage person.

If a driver who is less than 21 years old is convicted for an offense of driving with any amount of alcohol or drugs in his/her body, his/her license will be revoked for one year.

Reprinted from: The North Carolina Driver’s Handbook,

Chapter 2 - Alcohol and the Law - pg. 27-29