INFORMATION

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

On July 17, 1984, the U.S. Congress passed a law called "The National Minimum Drinking Age Act" that established the minimum age for the purchase and possession of alcoholic beverages throughout the country. An identity document (ID) can be required both to enter premises that sell alcohol and to buy it, and the transport by car must be done in their original packaging and closed. Consumption in public places, such as sidewalks, parks, vehicles, is generally prohibited, even if there is no law for all states. The maximum permitted blood alcohol level when driving is 0.08 % and for young people under 21 years of age there is the "Zero Tolerance" law which punishes those who have a value higher than 0.01 %. It is called Driving under the influence (DUI), or driving while intoxicated (DWI), and is considered a crime. The penalties are very severe and also include imprisonment of up to one year for the first offence and up to seven years for those who commit three or more within five years of the first offence.

References

National Minimum Drinking Age Act (Wikipedia)
United States open-container laws (Wikipedia)
Drunk driving in the United States (Wikipedia)
Driving under the influence (Wikipedia)