Safety Tips for Drive-Thru Alcohol Stores

Often labeled as a mythical oasis or historical afterthought, drive-thru alcohol stores are a real thing, still. While plenty of rational minds consider the mashup of driving and booze-buying a bit irrational, you have to admit that there is a beauty in not leaving the comfort of your heated seats when you need some whiskey for your Pickleback party.

In Texas, New Jersey, Arizona, Wisconsin and a few other states, drive-thru alcohol or liquor stores are as bountiful as the walk-in establishments. For the most part, if you are an adult over the age of 21, you can purchase your favorite spirits from the comfort of your own car, as long as you follow the open container laws in your state or locality. It really isn’t much different when you think about it, and it isn’t like the stores are selling mixed drinks through their drive-thru window, right?

However, you should keep in mind that a drive-thru alcohol purchase doesn’t mean you can:

• Get away with being intoxicated. Dram shop liability laws, general morality and ethics will probably cause your drive-thru cashier to alert authorities that you’ve been drinking, and they can (and will) refuse to sell you any more alcohol.
• Open that beer and drive away. Much like above, your cashier is going to be the person who rats you out. It’s for your own good, and the safety of others on the road – something you already know and the reason you wouldn’t really crack open that beer until you’re home, anyway.
• Hand your bottle to a minor. Underage drinking is a crime in every state, and if you are perceived to be buying for someone under the age of 21, you could be in big trouble.

Convenience is one thing, but drinking and driving is something entirely different and it is best not to mix up the two. Your trip home shouldn’t be interrupted by a DUI traffic stop, and consequences like an ignition interlock requirement. Just the promise of a safe, responsible evening parked on your couch, enjoying the fruits and/or grains of your drive-thru alcohol harvest.