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Reckoning it's better to test drivers for alcohol before they hit the road instead of afterward, the city is buying coin-operated breath-testing machines for its bars.

The proposal is of modest proportions: Aside from Rogue River, Rockford only has two other public establishments licensed to serve booze — The Corner Bar and Sam's Joint, a restaurant.

But officials hope the payoff will be big.

"We've always tried to kind of think outside of the box for our traditional services we can provide," said City Manager Michael Young.

Rockford is the first U.S. municipality to buy the Alcohol Alert machines from KeRo Corp., said Ken Stoll, who heads the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company.

They are expected to be installed in the Rogue River Tavern and The Corner Bar in May. Sam's Joint is demurring, saying the machine might give the wrong impression to patrons of the family oriented restaurant.

Officials in the southwestern Michigan community of about 4,600 believe the initiative will be a boon for bartenders who are required by law not to serve patrons they believe to be intoxicated.

The idea came late last year, not long after Michigan became the 44th state to lower its drunk driving standard to .08% blood-alcohol content.

"I think it's a very proactive approach to alcohol enforcement and prevention," said police Chief Dave Jones. "We want to try to get somebody before they get in the car and cause injury or harm."

For 50 cents, drinkers blow through a straw and into the computerized machine, which provides a digital readout and a vocal accounting of the test results — and possibly enough reason to seek a ride home.

Andy Tidey, co-owner of The Corner Bar, said he couldn't afford to buy one himself and appreciates the city's action, although he said drunken customers are not a big issue at his business.

"It's a good gesture to the community," Tidey said.

Winding down at The Corner Bar, Rockford resident Luke Leech, 23, said some people might use the breath testers for their entertainment value.

"I think it'll be more useful than that, though," Leech said.