BILLINGS – Two mobile breath alcohol testing vehicles intended to help reduce the number of alcohol-related fatalities on tribal lands are headed for Montana.
Officials say the BAT-mobiles that cost $300,000 each will be delivered to the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services in Billings in early November.
BIA officials say they will coordinate use of the vehicles with tribal law enforcement departments. The vehicles will be used at traffic checkpoints.
Matthew Pryor, special agent in charge for the BIA Office of Justice Services in District V, says the BIA will house the vehicles but they will spend most of their time on reservation roads.
The Montana Department of Transportation says American Indians comprise 6.2 percent of the state’s population but account for 25 percent of alcohol-related fatalities.