KATHLEEN MILLER Associated Press writer | Posted: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 12:00 am
CHEYENNE - Senate Judiciary Committee members voted again Monday to ban open containers of alcohol from moving vehicles in Wyoming.
Under current state law, it's legal for passengers to drink but illegal for drivers to have open containers, except in certain municipalities with ordinances banning both passengers and drivers from having open containers.
"Most of the places around this state, most of the towns already have open container laws in place," said Justin Tarr, a representative from Cody Youth for Justice. "We feel that it's kind of ironic that on our highways, where you're traveling 65 to 75 miles an hour, you can still have an open container in a vehicle."
Committee Chairman Sen. Tony Ross, R-Cheyenne, said the bill on the table was the same measure that passed the Senate the last two years.
Last year, a bill that would ban open containers for passengers and drivers failed by one vote in the House: One lawmaker who intended to vote for the bill was absent, prompting arrangements for a recount. But when that representative arrived and voted for the bill, another lawmaker changed his vote to no, and the bill failed.
"The fact of the matter is that drinking and driving on the roads in Wyoming is still as hazardous as it has been every year that I've been dealing with this bill, and it may be getting worse," Ross said.
Col. Sam Powell, director of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, told the committee that 2006 was a "particularly disturbing year" for the state since the number of car accident fatalities jumped from 170 in 2005 to 195 last year.
"If statistics hold true to form, that will probably mean about 70 to 75 of those fatalities had alcohol involved," Powell said.
Law enforcement officials say Wyoming's current policy makes it easy for drivers to avoid getting caught drinking. They say that if a driver is pulled over while consuming alcohol, he or she can pass the drink to a passenger and avoid prosecution.
The measure stipulates that the open container law would not apply to passengers in chartered buses or limousines. It would also allow open containers in RVs, so long as the containers were kept in "secured" cabinets or other compartments "not readily accessible to the driver."
Representatives of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Wyoming Medical Society, the Wyoming Department of Corrections, the Wyoming Association of Churches and Anheuser-Busch testified in favor of the legislation. Gov. Dave Freudenthal in his State of the State address last week called on lawmakers to outlaw open containers.
No one testified against the bill Monday.
Jessica Taggart, a chaperone for approximately 30 teenagers involved in Cody Youth for Justice who lobbied for the legislation, said she appreciated concerns opponents of the bill may have about how the bill could affect civil rights.
"But I also feel it's a civil right to feel safe and ensure you can make it from one location to another without any problems on the road," Taggart said.