| 'No refusal weekend' begins for impaired drivers |
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| Written by Sentinel-Tribune Staff |
| Friday, 03 February 2012 11:34 |
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To combat the often deadly problem of impaired driving, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Wood County Sheriff's Office, Bowling Green Police Division, and the Bowling Green State University Police will be out in force this weekend cracking down on impaired drivers. This latest enforcement strategy today through Sunday will be a "No Refusal Weekend." This weekend will be a "No Refusal Weekend" because all suspected impaired drivers caught during the enforcement who refuse breath testing will be subject to blood testing for alcohol. In Wood County as well as the rest of Ohio, anyone driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 grams per deciliter or higher is considered legally impaired. However, many impaired drivers refuse to submit to BAC testing in an attempt to avoid-or have reduced-the criminal sanctions they could face upon conviction. BAC test refusals are increasing around the nation. In a 2008 NHTSA report to Congress, Refusal of Intoxication Testing: A Report to Congress, refusal rates ranged from 2.4 percent to 81 percent, with an average refusal rate of 22.4 percent The "No Refusal Weekend" is designed to address this issue. Police and other law enforcement officials work in coordination with prosecutors and judges to quickly obtain "blood draw warrants" for drivers who refuse BAC testing. With the approval of a judge, anyone suspected of impaired driving who unlawfully refuses to provide a breath sample is subject to blood testing at the scene, a medical facility, or nearest jail facility. The program helps ensure that prosecutors obtain the scientific evidence needed to effectively pursue cases involving impaired driving. According to the NHTSA, there were 10,839 alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in the United States in 2009. |
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