Third-Party Responsibility

Believe it or not, if you're found to have been drinking and driving, others beside yourself may be subject to punishment. Here are some of the DUI laws referred to as third-party responsibility:

• - Happy hour laws: in some states, it is illegal for a bar to discount the price of alcoholic beverages
• - Open container laws: many states have recently implemented laws that make it illegal to have an open alcoholic beverage in a vehicle, even if it belongs to a passenger. Backed by the federal government, which encourages all states to enact these laws, open containers must be kept in the trunk or somewhere else where they are inaccessible to the driver and passengers.
• - Dram shop laws: liquor stores, restaurants and bars are not allowed to serve citizens who are under the legal drinking age of 21. These businesses are also not allowed to sell alcohol to people who are already intoxicated. Those who sell alcohol to a drunken individual who is then in a DUI accident may be legally liable for any damages.