OPEN CONTAINER ALCOHOL
Drinking is arguably one of the most popular forms of recreation enjoyed by youth nowadays. Traditionally the act of drinking was done inside taverns which later evolved into bars and night clubs. With the recent economic development and the consequent rise in the number of young people owning cars, finding a place for recreation while drinking booze is now very much possible with one’s car.
Open container alcohol law basically applies to everyone inside the vehicle. It is not limited only to the driver or the people on the front seats. More specifically, the law prohibits anyone from bringing or drinking alcohol in the “open container” part of the vehicle.
Alcoholic beverages bought from the stores should be placed in the trunk or in a locked glove compartment. They should not be hand carried nor placed with the passengers or driver.
For vehicles with no separate trunk, they should be placed at the rear part of the seats or in an area not normally occupied by passengers inside the vehicle. Closed bottles of alcoholic beverages are fortunately not included in this offense.
Several states have implemented restrictions on open container alcohol to reduce incidents of drunk driving.
Penalties
The open container alcohol law is designed practically to reduce incidents of drunk driving and road rage due to drunkenness, thereby, contributing to the reduction of possible road accidents, human injuries, and damages to property.
The fines and penalties implemented by most states including the State of Massachusetts usually fall between $100 to $500 with most traffic police pushing for the maximum amount. Minors not accompanied by parents or guardians who are charged with this offense can be arrested, fined, and have suspended licenses.
What to do?
Experienced lawyers can easily contest and drop charges pertaining to open container alcohol. The main reason why such a law is implemented is to reduce road accidents because of drunkenness.
However, a driver can contest the intent of getting drunk. What if there was just no space available to place the bottles of alcoholic beverages apart from the open container? Such questions and related situations should be asked and contested by the lawyers.
Well-versed lawyers from our firm can guarantee 100% quality service in contesting and dropping penalties and fines related to open container alcohol.