Drivers and passengers would face bans on open alcohol and marijuana containers

People would be barred from knowingly or intentionally possessing alcohol or marijuana outside the manufacturer's unopened original container in a vehicle's passenger area. The restrictions cover drivers and passengers on Virginia public highways, including their shoulders. They also cover marijuana products. The bans use a federal definition of passenger area that is not included in the bill. A broken seal or removed contents would make a container presumed open. Violations would be Class 4 misdemeanors, a category of criminal offense.

Alcohol delivery businesses would have to keep drinks outside the vehicle's passenger area when they are not in the manufacturer's original sealed container. The rule covers alcohol delivered under Virginia's licensed alcohol delivery provisions. Other exceptions allowed by the alcohol laws would still apply. The storage rule uses a federal definition of passenger area that is not included in the bill.

Virginia would put the reserved amount equal to 2.5 percent of two federal highway funding sources into its Highway Safety Improvement Program. The money comes from the federal National Highway Performance Program and Surface Transportation Block Grant Program. The direction covers the reserved amount, rather than all federal highway funding.