Carrying open liquor in car

I guess I can not cite a legal passage, but generally speaking, the concept of an "Open Container" is uniquely American (well maybe our friends in Canada have similar) especially the idea of a bottle of liquor, opened but resealed, out of reach, in a car being an issue.

It used to be quite common to buy wine in bulk, bringing your own jugs and containers, so the idea of unsealed containers is quite common. I would not be concerned, maybe don't have it in the cup holder next to you.

We find it quite funny when we see US movies and bottles are drunk enveloped in a brown bag...don´t really understand why. Yes, you can carry bottles of whatever opened in a car, you only have to be sober when driving, that is, under the legal limit. Spain has a very liberal attitute towards alcohol, which does not mean it´s not controlled, but it´s more a social thing than a drinking issue. You´ll see hundreds of bars in cities, open doors, families inside, kids inside (legal age is 18), more a meeting place to socialize for friends and families than places to drink.

Spain - and its regions - have some pretty peculiar laws, but so far as I know banning opened containers of alcohol in a car isn't amongst them. That would just be weird!

AFAIK that law is a US peculiarity, like being allowed to turn right on red and overtaking on the wrong side. I have never heard of it in any other country.
And it is normal for wineries to sell wine "loose", bring your own container and fill from the barrel. Same in France and Germany. That's wine and not spirits, but the container is still "open".

BTW, I am never quite sure whether the US word "Liquor" is just spirits, or wine and beer as well?

and overtaking on the wrong side.

How else do you overtake without going on the wrong side? Or are you referring to undertaking on the motorway? If so then yes, it is illegal in Spain.

Thanks for your replies everyone. All very helpful.

Fay

Yes, I was talking about "undertaking", i.e. on the left in the UK, or on the right in Spain, France, Germany and other countries. AFAIK illegal in all of them.
I am wondering what travel plans Fay has, that she plans to carry opened alcohol in the car ☺

Undertaking is not illegal in the UK. It can be considered careless driving if the manoeuvre is considered dangerous but that requires the observation and opinion of a police officer, a rare sight on the UK's roads.

But Bill.....did he have an open bottle of liquor in the car?

Nah, the bottle was probably empty by then

Sounds like a story that was going around when I was back in undertaking school.