Refuse a breathalyzer this weekend and you'll be giving blood

Why not just have a warrant to take a breathalyzer?

 

For all you Austinites, this is also going on. Especially in WilCo, and especially if you have prior DWIs... PLEASE BE CAREFUL!

http://news8austin.com/content/headlines/?ArID=213225&SecID=2


It's a 'no refusal' weekend for repeat drunk drivers

7/1/2008 12:34 PM
By: News 8 Austin Staff

For repeat drunk drivers in Williamson County it'll be a no refusal weekend.

That's because the Williamson County district attorney's office said officers will seek out a search warrant for a blood sample for anyone with two DWI convictions on their record.

Judges will be on-call, even overnight, to consider and approve search warrants.

In Texas, more than half the drivers arrested for DWI refuse to take a breathalyzer test.

That refusal goes up to 60 percent for people with at least two prior convictions.

One third of the DWI convictions in Texas ultimately become a felony crime punishable by 2-10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The first two DWI convictions are misdemeanors. Prosecutors across the state are promoting 'no refusal' weekends.

 

Why would someone refuse a breathalyzer if they are not drunk.
Do it..prove it you are not drunk and go...otherwise you deserve to get your blood taken and arrested for being an a$$

 

Amen.

 

I dunno. Warren Moon got screwed over in Seattle. He had alcohol in his system but it wasn't an illegal amount (thats what happened right?) and he still got taken in. Legally you should be able to drink a beer and jump right into your car if you want to.

 

Good.

Guys who drink in drive piss me off.

 

As long as they are legally getting a warrant I don't have a problem with this. When I first read this I saw it as "Someone declared new laws" and was unhappy.

I don't drink so this isn't applicable to me.

 

If I hadn't been drinking at all, I wouldn't refuse a breathalyzer. But if I had, even if it wasn't much and it had been long enough that it should be out of the system, I would never agree to a breathalyzer. My job is working with instrumentation, and I know how buggy things like that can be. I would never trust my legal record to a potentially very fallible machine.

 

Request a blood test instead then...its more accurate

 

So wtf happens? Do they do the blood test then and there? how can they force you to give blood? The lawyer would prolly tell u to refuse everything

 

I think they take you in, lock you up, and get a warrant. They then do a blood test. Apparently they are going to have judges on standby all weekend to be writing out warrants for this.

As for the OP saying he is going to file a lawsuit...good luck. If there is a signed warrant you won't have much footing in court.

 

ya but how they gonna prove that u were drunk?

 

Umm, I'm guesing from the blood they draw? Duh.

 

Drunk and "above the stupidly low legal limit" are not even remotely the same.

 

To assert my rights as a citizen against unlawful search. If I'd refuse it when I was drunk, then I'm certainly going to refuse when I'm not.

 

I understand this position on a purely philosophical level, however, this weekend, that position will land you in jail waiting on a warrant to draw your blood.

I'm a pragmatic liberal. If I'm not drunk, I'm taking the breathalyzer this weekend.

 

If I'm not in jail, I'll be going insane vainly trying to get my stubborn children to go to bed like they're supposed to. So, I think I'm going to be a hard-ass this weekend.

...not that any cop will have cause to pull me over.

 

damn cops are everywhere out there. it's a war zone out there. people getting pulled over left and right. people driving like crap. cops with cars pulled over just make it worse...cause everyone has to rubberneck and see the cop write his ticket. i was getting pissed just driving around today. dammit!

 

I don't understand the outrage -- unless your planning on drinking and driving.

I would take it a step further and say that refusing to take a breathalyzer is admission of guilt.