Measuring driving distances by the number of beers it takes to get there

Newcomers might find this hard to believe, but a common form of measurement a few decades ago, when it came to traveling Wyoming’s long distances, was: “How many beers does it take to get there?”

For decades, our state did not have open container laws. It was accepted that folks traveled distances with a cooler of beer to sustain them.

Thankfully, this culture of combining alcohol with travel has virtually disappeared. The toll of killed and injured people left in its wake enlightened our lawmakers to pass safer laws. 

Or did it?

The real reason Wyoming has safer laws is the federal...