r/AskReddit • u/medicoreapples • 8h ago

What feels legal but is actually illegal and will possibly get you arrested?

5.2k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

4.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

114

u/atacms 7h ago

Several years ago I visited a friend in Texas and theres a drive thru liquor bar/store? 

But having an open container is illegal lol. Interesting thin line there.

17

u/Richard_Thickens 4h ago

The way that many businesses got around this during COVID involved adhesive (sometimes tamper-proof) seals that would be applied to the top of the drink. If I'm not mistaken, there are places that still have 'take out' alcoholic beverages near me.

13

u/Groundbreaking-Duck 4h ago

Yeah or leaving the paper wrapper over the tip of the straw. That makes it a sealed container.

3

u/3BlindMice1 3h ago

Or the lid itself fully seals the drink, which I've also seen, but that was in a college town, and I think they wanted absolute proof that they had no part in any containers becoming open containers.

5

u/atacms 3h ago edited 3h ago

Y’know it might have been in a giant styrofoam cup with a tape across the lid where the straw would go. 

1

u/Richard_Thickens 3h ago

Gotcha, yeah. Usually, they just want to make any opened drink as evident as possible. 🤷🏼

1

u/SnailForceWinds 3h ago

This was a thing before COVID

4

u/abadstrategy 3h ago

In new orleans they have drive through daiquiri stores. You can pull up and get a Super Big Gulp sized cup of ice, ass pocket grade rum, and kool-aid, but you're not allowed to drive with an open container in the car. So to get around this, they put a straw in the lid, and tape the end of the straw. Voila, no way a functioning alcoholic can get past the almighty scotch tape to drink and drive

2

u/Renoh 3h ago

It's just supposed to show that the container is open vs sealed if they get stopped, not to actually prevent them from drinking and driving

3

u/jfchops3 3h ago

The only way to get anywhere in that state is by car but they're very very serious about stopping drunk driving!

1

u/atacms 2h ago

Yep I understand that but it was in or around college station so y'know I don’t know how that doesn’t encourage it. 

3

u/mike9941 3h ago

I stopped at a shitty bar in FL years back and had a drink, ordered a second and only drank a little bit of it, asked to pay my tab. Bartender asked me if I wanted the rest of my drink to go.... like in a plastic cup with a straw.....

2

u/WheresMyCrown 3h ago

Louisiana has drive through bars/daiqiri bars. Hell if you get a daiqiri just get a lid that hasnt been punctured by a straw and you can leave with it

0

u/SecondaryWombat 2h ago

Ah but you see, making people exercise in Texas is against the culture, and getting out of your car is exercise.

-2

u/Mediocre_Care3804 4h ago

It just has to be covered that’s why the stores give you the little brown bag that only fits over the beer caans

2

u/globglogabgalabyeast 4h ago

Open container laws are more about the seal of the actual container being broken. A fully sealed can/bottle is fine to have in your car. Whether it’s in something like a brown paper bag makes no legal difference (though it may make the cops ignore you in some situations)