"No Refusal" DWI Policy To Be Permanent In El Paso
POSTED: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - 11:10pm
UPDATED: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 - 12:18am
The El Paso County District Attorney's office is working with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and police throughout the Borderland, to crack down on drinking and driving. Their strategy is called "No Refusal," a program that used to be reserved for holidays only. But starting Thursday, "No Refusal" will be used by officers every day of the year.
If police suspect a person is drinking and driving, the driver is normally asked to take a breathalyzer test so that the officer can determine the person's blood alcohol level. Anyone with a driver's license is legally required to take the breath test. But police say many drivers refuse because they know they can't be forced to blow into the machine.
The "No Refusal" program allows police to take a person to a nurse to have their blood drawn, if the suspected drunk driver refuses to take a breath test. This way, impaired drivers can no longer get away with hiding their blood alcohol levels.

