The holidays weren’t very merry for nearly two dozen individuals in Corpus Christi. As part of No Refusal Weekend – an initiative to crack down on DWI violations over Christmas and New Year’s – the city’s police arrested 22 individuals on suspicion of drunk driving. Three of the arrests were upgraded to felony charges, as the incidents were especially egregious.
No Refusal Weekend is just one of several such operations that take place in Texas over the winter season. Acting on the presumption that individuals are more likely than usual to drive drunk after company Christmas parties or family dinners, police departments across the state increase the presence of roadside police.
Why do they do it?
These measures have proven to be an effective deterrent.
However, they also carry some unintended consequences. In their eagerness to nab dangerous drivers, police are occasionally overzealous, and arrest individuals who aren’t intoxicated at all. Moreover, owing to the fallibility of roadside breath tests and blood tests, some individuals are arrested on the basis of ‘false positives’ – test results indicating an individual is over the legal limit, even when s/he isn’t.
Such problems arise not just during the holiday season, but persist throughout the year. It’s unfortunate, as the only way to fight back against a wrongful charge is by working closely with a qualified DWI lawyer, who knows how to protect one’s rights and interests.
Drunk driving leads to tragedy
Of course, the police department’s efforts are necessary. Many people argue, and not without cause, that initiatives to cut down on drunk driving shouldn’t end with the New Year, but ought to continue indefinitely.
The rationale is hard to argue with. Of the 22 DWI incidents during No Refusal Weekend, one involved a child, another involved the injury of a police officer, and another resulted in the death of a woman (who was hit by a drunk driver). It is clear that we must do all we can to put an end to such tragic events.
Still, increased enforcement will lead, from time to time, to wrongful arrests. And all drivers should know what steps to take, and how to find an attorney, if they find themselves charged.
