Labor Day No Refusal Weekend DWI Crackdown In Austin
Labor Day No Refusal weekend last year could be considered a great success in the eyes of local authorities because for the first time since 2003, Texas saw the fewest number of people killed in crashes involving alcohol. Unfortunately, 7 people still lost their lives to alcohol related crashes last year during the Labor Day weekend, however, the number of deaths in the 7 years before that were all in the double digits. Law enforcement officials can attribute that lower number to the amount of work and the thousands of overtime hours police officers dedicated to preventing drivers from getting behind the wheel drunk.
The effort here in Austin is actually part of a larger effort led and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Austin police have also used a “no refusal” policy in years past which involves driver’s having their blood tested at one central facility where a search warrant is also issued. Since Texas drivers have already implied consent to submit a blood sample upon receiving their driver’s license, law enforcement created the no-refusal system as a way to quickly and legally obtain blood samples from suspected drunk drivers without wasting hours on lengthy processes. The most important task for Austin police during Labor Day weekend is not only to prevent drunk driving through campaigns such as “Drink. Drive. Go to Jail”, but also to intercept and stop drunk drivers already on the roads before a night of celebration turns fatal.
