Drunkmobile: Maryland State Police Debut Breathalyzer Truck

A special truck is helping Maryland State Police keep drunk drivers off the road. The mobile breathalyzer unit hit the streets in mid December, allowing state troopers to check blood alcohol levels instantly.

Funded by a grant from the Maryland Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office, the mobile breath alcohol testing truck is the first of its kind in the state, according to police. Equipment on the vehicle enables officers to check drivers immediately at the scene.

In the absence of the $450,000 truck, troopers have had to conduct field sobriety tests on the side of the road, then take offenders to the station for testing, according to WJZ, which reported the truck cuts out that trip, enabling more officers to be on patrol.

The first place where troopers used the truck was at a sobriety checkpoint with Montgomery County Police and other departments on Dec. 16 that resulted in the arrest of four drivers, police reported.

The blood alcohol limit in Maryland is .08, and officials will be on the lookout for impaired drivers during the New Year's Eve weekend holiday.

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Photo Credit: Maryland State Police.