Volvo is adding Alcolock to its UK options list, and is confident that this anti drink-driving device has the potential to save lives. While the majority of truck drivers have a responsible attitude to drink driving, how many are blissfully unaware that the booze they consumed last night may still be in their system the next morning? These are the people that Alcolock is primarily aimed at. The option is wired into the truck's ignition system, and requires the driver to blow into it before starting the engine. Should a dangerous alcohol level be detected, the truck will fail to start.
Sweden sets its drink-driving limit at 20mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, which is one of the strictest in Europe. Although the UK allows a more lenient 80mg, Alcolocks available from British dealers will be set to the Swedish level, as Volvo believes the UK limit to be too high. We headed out to Gothenburg to try the system for ourselves armed with a portable breathalyser and headache tablets. The guinea pigs 
consisted of MT's van tester David Cameron, Volvo's Nigel Hanwell and myself.
Having quickly established that most Swedish beer is incredibly weak and is described by the locals as being similar to making love in a canoe (think about it), we switched to an imported brand of beer. Several pints later, and having watched one member of our party murder Knowing Me, Knowing You in a karaoke bar, it was time to switch to the hard stuff. We each knocked back a couple of tequilas, a few g&ts and a brandy nightcap back at the hotel bar at 1am.
Taking regular readings throughout the night revealed huge variations in our alcohol levels, proving no two people's bodies dissipate alcohol at the same rate. While Cameron was almost immediately over the limit (and proud to score our highest reading of the night - pictured right), we were halfway through the experiment before Han-well even reached the UK limit. At the end of the night our readings ranged from 180mg/ml to 370mg/ml.
The 
bleary-eyed part of our test started at 7am the following morning, where we each attempted to start the truck. While none of us felt particularly great, all agreed that we have driven with worse hangovers before. We all failed to start the truck. Breathing into the hand-held breathalyzer revealed that Hanwell was 35mg/ml (almost twice the Swedish limit, but perfectly legal on UK roads), while myself (110mg/ml) and Cameron (140mg/ml) were illegal in both countries. At £900 Alcolock is not going to be a popular option, which is a shame, as in our opinion it would be a valuable asset to both operator and driver.