Comments on: No open container law again http://apublicdefender.com/2008/05/07/no-open-container-law-again/ Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:03:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Mark in Jersey http://apublicdefender.com/2008/05/07/no-open-container-law-again/#comment-30530 Mark in Jersey Fri, 09 May 2008 16:12:26 +0000 http://apublicdefender.com/?p=1195#comment-30530 Good news when I wanna' enjoy a beer up there when I visit. I remember drinkin' a few in the summer heat relaxing along Chicks Drive-In in West Haven. The police came along and said to us "Guys, you can't drink sitting here on the side" (we were sitting on top of the parking barrier made of logs thingie)... "But if you keep it in the <b>car</b>, you can continue on" (of course meaning with the ignition off) we were <b>legally allowed to drink while parked in a public lot</b>. Nice, a rare treat in this day and age, sorta like the New Haven St. Paddys day parade when everyone is drinkin' in public. Of course, as long as no-one gets drunk and drives or gets out of hand... Good times. But <b>drinkin' while driving</b> (though <b>not</b> legally intoxicated) is still a <b>misdemeanor</b> (used to be an infraction when I was a kid, got busted with my bad habit of having a cold one in the car after work on the way home)...<i> <b>Sec. 53a-213. Drinking while operating motor vehicle</b>: Class C misdemeanor. (a) A person is guilty of drinking while operating a motor vehicle when he drinks any alcoholic liquor while operating a motor vehicle upon a public highway of this state ... </i> Good news when I wanna’ enjoy a beer up there when I visit. I remember drinkin’ a few in the summer heat relaxing along Chicks Drive-In in West Haven.

The police came along and said to us “Guys, you can’t drink sitting here on the side” (we were sitting on top of the parking barrier made of logs thingie)…

“But if you keep it in the car, you can continue on” (of course meaning with the ignition off) we were legally allowed to drink while parked in a public lot. Nice, a rare treat in this day and age, sorta like the New Haven St. Paddys day parade when everyone is drinkin’ in public.

Of course, as long as no-one gets drunk and drives or gets out of hand… Good times.

But drinkin’ while driving (though not legally intoxicated) is still a misdemeanor (used to be an infraction when I was a kid, got busted with my bad habit of having a cold one in the car after work on the way home)…

Sec. 53a-213. Drinking while operating motor vehicle:

Class C misdemeanor. (a) A person is guilty of drinking while operating a motor vehicle when he drinks any alcoholic liquor while operating a motor vehicle upon a public highway of this state …

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