{"id":340634,"date":"2026-05-31T21:25:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/340634\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T21:25:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:25:11","slug":"ca-driving-laws-can-you-get-a-dui-on-an-atv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/340634\/","title":{"rendered":"CA driving laws: Can you get a DUI on an ATV?"},"content":{"rendered":"

California has more than 140,000 acres dedicated to off-road riding<\/a>, according to California State Parks.<\/p>\n

All-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes, go karts and other off-highway vehicles can rev their engines and race at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area<\/a> in San Luis Obispo County.<\/p>\n

The state is home to eight other parks for off-highway vehicles.<\/a><\/p>\n

Although these areas don\u2019t have paved streets or traffic lights, the rules of the road still apply. That includes drug and alcohol use.<\/p>\n

Can you get pulled for drunk driving while driving an ATV?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know:<\/p>\n

What is considered impaired driving in California?<\/p>\n

In California, it\u2019s illegal to drive while under the influence<\/a> of alcohol or any drug that affects your ability to drive safely,\u201d according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles\u2019 California Driver\u2019s Handbook.<\/p>\n

That includes cannabis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition, \u201cSome prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving,\u201d the San Luis Obispo Police Department said in a Wednesday, May 27, news release.<\/p>\n

You can be arrested on suspicion of drunk driving<\/a> in California if you have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher, if you\u2019re of drinking age.<\/p>\n

The legal limit for commercial drivers or those transporting passengers for hire is 0.04%.<\/p>\n

If you are under 21 years old or have a DUI probation, you can be arrested on suspicion of DUI with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.01% or higher.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no legal standard or limit for how much marijuana is too much<\/a> to drive,\u201d the Law Office of Amy Chapman in Santa Rosa said.<\/p>\n

Can I get a DUI on an ATV?<\/p>\n

In California, DUI laws<\/a> apply to all vehicles, including those intended for off-road use.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe laws regarding driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs apply throughout California, both on and off-highway<\/a>,\u201d California State Parks said.<\/p>\n

In other words, driving an ATV under the influence of alcohol or drugs is against the law.<\/p>\n

California Vehicle Code \u201cprohibits open alcoholic beverage containers in OHVs,\u201d State Parks said.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not allowed to have \u201cany bottle, can or another receptacle containing any alcoholic beverage\u201d that has been opened or has a broken seal<\/a>, The Sacramento Bee reported previously.<\/p>\n

What are the penalties for drunk driving in California?<\/p>\n

If you are convicted of a DUI<\/a> in California, the DMV will either suspend your driver\u2019s license or revoke driving privileges.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also have to complete a DUI program, file proof of insurance and pay fees. You may also be required to have an ignition interlock device in your vehicle.<\/p>\n

Drivers charged with a first-time DUI can face an average of $13,500 in fines and fees, plus up to six months in county jail.<\/p>\n

Law enforcement can impound your car, and you may have to pay a storage fee.<\/p>\n

All DUI convictions remain on your driver\u2019s record for 10 years,\u201d the DMV said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe penalties for violating California\u2019s open container laws<\/a> are relatively minor, but they can still significantly impact your life,\u201d Los Angeles law firm Eisner Gorin LLP said.<\/p>\n

If you are convicted of having an open container in a vehicle, you could be charged a maximum fine of $250.<\/p>\n

Motorists under 21 can face fines up to $1,000 and have their driving privileges suspended for a year.<\/p>\n

Loading\u2026<\/p>\n

Related Stories from San Luis Obispo Tribune<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Alexiah Syrai Olsen<\/a><\/p>\n

The Tribune<\/p>\n

Alexiah Syrai Olsen is a service journalism reporter for The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, California. She earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in journalism and design from The New School in New York City.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California has more than 140,000 acres dedicated to off-road riding, according to California State Parks. All-terrain vehicles, dirt…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":340635,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-340634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=340634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/340635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=340634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=340634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=340634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}