Connecticut is one of 11 states including Louisiana, Mississippi and Wyoming, that share the badge of shame for allowing vehicle passengers to swig a beer.
Making a beer run? If you’re not behind the wheel, there’s no law against cracking open that six-pack before you make it home.
Connecticut is one of the few states where motor vehicle passengers can, if they so choose, drink alcohol.
The lack of prohibition of open alcohol containers in motor vehicles has and continues to cost Connecticut millions of dollars in federal funds every year, and though there have been numerous attempts over the course of decades to change that, to date, all have failed.
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Here’s everything to know about Connecticut’s open container laws:
Yes. Connecticut is one of only 11 states that allow passengers in motor vehicles to drink alcohol from open containers. The law specifically allows one open container for each passenger, so long as the driver doesn’t drink.
The other states with no prohibition against open alcohol containers in the passenger areas of the vehicle are Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
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Connecticut does prohibit open alcohol containers in the driver’s seat. In fact, it is illegal to drink alcohol while operating a motor vehicle on a public highway, in a parking lot for 10 or more cars or on school property, according to the state Office of Legislative Research.
If you are driving with no passengers, Connecticut law prohibits any open alcohol containers in the car, except if they are in a locked container.
There has been decades of discussion in the state legislature on the topic, and the majority of arguments in favor of prohibiting passengers from drinking alcohol is the number of fatalities related to drunken driving.
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Back in 1999, then-Groton state Rep. Lenny Winkler argued in the General Assembly in favor of an open container law.
“I think it sets a bad precedent that we don't believe in drinking and driving yet it's perfectly alright for somebody to stop at a package store, pick up a six pack of beer, open the can of beer and drive down the street,” she said. “I think we should address that issue and I hope that next year we can come back and improve what's here.”
That argument, or a version of it, has been made nearly every year since then and is often backed by the state Department of Transportation among other officials.
One argument against open container laws is that they are often selectively enforced against working-class individuals and are used as an excuse for unnecessary traffic stops.
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“It’s another racist law used almost universally against the poor, it’s usually an excuse for police to stop and investigate,” Niki Ganong, author of “The Field Guide To Drinking In America,” told Eater.
Connecticut, like every state, gets millions in federal funding every year for highway maintenance.
But federal law mandates that a portion of those highway maintenance funds may only be used for “alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures, enforcement of drunk driving laws, or the state's hazard elimination program,” if a state does not prohibit passengers from drinking alcohol.
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That means that 2.5 percent of Connecticut’s federal highway repair dollars must be diverted away from highway repair. Connecticut’s penalty amounts to 2.5 percent of the $521 million in the two largest programs, including a block grant.
As of 2023, $164 million in federal funds has been diverted since 2001, when the federal law was enacted.
It’s unknown if the law will ever change, but it’s a relative certainty that there will be attempts to do so in upcoming legislative sessions.
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The most recent such attempt was in the 2023 legislative session, when a provision to prohibit open alcohol containers was included in a larger bill.
That provision was ultimately removed from the final version of the measure before it passed.
Jordan Nathaniel Fenster is a reporter with CT Insider. He’s worked as a journalist covering politics, cannabis, public health, social justice and more for 25 years. Jordan’s work has appeared in The New York Times and USA Today in addition to multiple regional and local newspapers. He is an award-winning reporter, podcaster and children’s book author. He serves as senior enterprise reporter and lives in Stamford with his dog, cat and three daughters. He can be reached at jordan.fenster@hearstmediact.com.
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