Thanksgiving DWI Austin Texas – Starting on November 18 and ending on November 28, the city of Austin implemented a “No Refusal” Initiative from the hours of 10PM to 5AM each day. Under this program, the Austin Police Department and its officers had the authority to access blood search warrants for any and all drivers who were suspected of impaired driving and who also refused to provide either a blood or breath sample.”
As a result of the implementation of this program, 49 individuals were arrested for drunk driving between the dates of November 18 and November 24.
Austin Police Department Detective Jason Day was quoted as stating the following in regards to this:
“What we’re hoping with that is that not only that it increases prosecutions, but hopefully it serves as a deterrent. Because that’s really out ultimate goal is just to keep people safe, and to make them think again about drinking and driving. Because there are additional consequences.
The “No Refusal” Initiative is one that traditionally had been put into effect during both the holidays and various special events; however, it now is in effect four days a week this fiscal year as a result of increased budget funding.
This program is one that also comes at a critical time, according to Joel Meyer, who works as the program manager of Austin’s Vision Zero program. Officially, as of the end of September, a total of 24 pedestrians have died in traffic accidents in the city of Austin this year, which marks 27% of all traffic fatalities on city roads. According to Meyer, the main culprits behind both fatal and serious crashes in the city include the following:
*Distracted driving
*Impaired driving
*Failure to yield
*Speeding
Meyer was quoted as stating the following in regards to this:
“The behaviors this time of year are a little more pronounced in terms of those dangerous driving behaviors. We really try to stress to both longtime Austin residents and newcomers the importance of slowing down, really looking out for each other, doing small things like putting your phone down, making sure your headlights are on – these are all really small things that we can all do to have a big impact.”
Some of the common infrastructural changes that the Austin Transportation Department has made alongside the “No Refusal” Initiative include the following:
*Enhanced street lighting throughout the entire city
*Reflective continental crosswalks containing glass beads to allow for increased visibility
*Leading pedestrian intervals that are designed to “give pedestrians a head start into the crosswalk before vehicles are given a green light”
Thanksgiving DWI Austin Texas -In order to better assist with the decision making of drivers following a night of drinking, Austin has also decided to implement a parking citation dismissal form. This means that for those individuals who leave their cars parked overnight in order to look for an alternative form of transportation to get home, this dismissal will act as a type of waiver for any parking tickets or other related citations that the individual may receive.