When is it legal for a person to drive with an alcoholic beverage container that has been opened?
- If the container is under the front seat.
- If the container is in the trunk of the vehicle. ✓
- If the container is in the glove compartment.
Answer: B. If the container is in the trunk of the vehicle.
It is legal to drive with an opened alcoholic beverage container only if you keep it in the trunk or another place where passengers do not sit.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says that if you carry alcohol in your vehicle, the container must be sealed and unopened. When a container is already open, you have to keep it in the trunk or in a place where passengers do not sit. So an open container belongs in the trunk, not within reach of anyone riding in the car. The handbook also points out that an open container of alcohol in your glove box is against the law.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. If the container is under the front seat. — Putting the container under the front seat does not count, because that is still a place where passengers sit rather than the trunk or a separate storage area.
- C. If the container is in the glove compartment. — The handbook specifically states that keeping an open container of alcohol in your glove box is illegal.
Remember it
Ask yourself: is the open bottle somewhere nobody sits? The trunk passes that test; the glove box and under the seat do not.
Official handbook: California Driver Handbook (DL 600), Section 9: Alcohol and Drugs, p. 72