Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco signed a bill into law May 12 to prohibit open alcohol containers in vehicles.

The new law, which takes effect Aug. 15, will help ensure federal highway funds will be used for roads in the state.

Under existing Louisiana law, drivers are prohibited from having an open alcoholic beverage, but passengers have been free to drink while in the vehicle, The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported.

SB341, sponsored by Sen. Joel Chaisson II, D-Destrehan, will eliminate the open container provision, although exceptions would be made for passengers of limousines, parade trucks and floats.

Currently, Louisiana is required to spend a chunk of its federal highway dollars on traffic safety because the state doesn’t have a ban on open containers of alcohol in vehicles.

The state is one of only 14 nationwide that allows passengers to drink; last year, that distinction pulled 3 percent out of its federal highway construction budget and put it to other uses, according to a published report.

The federal government mandated in 2001 that states either pass open container laws or spend a percentage of federal highway dollars on public safety projects such as drunken driving checkpoints and installing cables to prevent crossover accidents.