Don’t [TBD] and Drive

    The intent of the Fort Wayne law was to tighten up a restriction that allowed open containers of alcohol in a vehicle if the driver’s blood alcohol level was below 0.04. But in not specifying what open containers they were banning, the Fort Wayne lawmakers made it illegal to have a bottle of water in your car, or a travel mug of coffee, a drive-thru burger, or even your groceries! Fortunately, according to Fort Wayne’s News Sentinel, the city council has already voted today to improve the wording of the law, with a change to be implemented as early as next week. I haven’t found a copy of the actual wording, but I’m curious if it is indeed as broad as it seems. Are there any qualifiers to the word “container”? Could a car itself be considered a container? Which would mean, of course, it’s unlawful to drive a convertible within the city limits. And it might even be illegal to open your doors and exit your vehicle. If so, the next week might be fun to watch.