RALEIGH, N.C. — Law enforcement will be using Breath Alcohol Testing Units to curb drunk driving this summer in North Carolina.
Drivers across all 100 counties in N.C. should look out for the BAT-mobile cruising their streets.
“BAT-mobiles – while not exactly the same as the one Batman drove – are a pretty critical tool for fighting crime in North Carolina, especially when it comes to impaired driving,” said Governor’s Highway Safety Program Director Mark Ezzell
Officials say this is part of a plan to conduct a BAT-mobile enforcement campaign in every North Carolina county in order to curb impaired driving from Memorial Day to Labor Day (which encompasses the 100 deadliest days of the year on the road).
This time of year is especially dangerous for teenagers, who officials say are 16 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal crash during this time period.
During the 100 Deadliest Days campaign, officials say BAT-mobiles will be used at DWI Checking Stations or during other impaired driving enforcement effort conducted by local law enforcement agencies.
Campaigns are generally conducted at locations with a high rate of impaired driving crashes, according to a news release.
BAT-mobiles are operated by the Forensic Tests for Alcohol Branch, a division of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
The units allow police to conduct breath alcohol and other sobriety tests, are fully equipped with the instruments and forms necessary for an officer to test and process a driver arrested for an impaired driving offense, and even have office space for a magistrate to operate in order to make the process of charging an impaired driver more seamless.
