Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Partying Halloween weekend???
The Austin Police Department is starting up a program for the upcoming Halloween weekend. The new program involves drawing blood from any drivers suspected of being intoxicated. The drivers will first be given the usual option to take a breath test, however if he or she refuses the breathalyzer, the person will be required to have their blood drawn right there on the spot. While many people who are planning on partying downtown this weekend may not be all for the idea of being poked with a needle after a long night out of drinking, I think this program is a great idea to help and encourage everyone to have a much safer weekend. I understand many of us want to go out, dress up, and have ourselves a good time, but I do not think anyone’s fun should be at the expense of endangering someone else because of drunk driving. There are several accidents that occur every weekend caused by drunk driving. So, I think if the APD can enforce this program to be in effect for one of the busiest nights in downtown Austin, then that’s great! If this weekend turns out to have fewer accidents due to drunk driving, then I think the APD should consider extending is beyond just the Halloween weekend. If the APD were to do this then I think many people, especially those who are scared of needles and blood, would think twice about going out for the night without a designated driver.
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My response is towards The Texas Blogbonnet's blog about the Austin Police Department's plan to force suspected intoxicated individuals who refuse to take a breathalyser test, to draw blood instead.
Originally, the idea of police officers drawing blood from individuals suspected of driving while intoxicated was an unnerving idea, but after doing a little bit of reading on the subject, it doesn’t sound so unsettling. First of all, they cannot (and won’t) physically force anyone to give a blood sample if they refuse the breathalyser test, but if they do refuse both, additional charges will be added on. Also, officers are trained on the medical procedure.
I read of a case where a woman was arrested on suspicion of DUI after her car struck and killed a motorcyclist and agreed to a breath test, which found minimal alcohol. The woman refused to give blood, so the police obtained a warrant and discovered her blood tested positive for marijuana and cocaine. It’s cases like that that make me favor the blood test idea. Breathalysers do not catch everything.
I will say though, those that are going to drink are not going to be considering the fact that if they are caught behind the wheel they’re going to be poked with a needle. Usually those that drive intoxicated either do not think they are “that drunk” or they choose to do it anyway. When someone is in that inebriated frame of mind, they don’t think clearly (obviously), so I personally don’t think that this new plan of on-the-spot blood testing is going to deter those that would drive intoxicated anyway.
I really think that harsher punishments for drunk driving need to be considered. Rather than having multiple offenses, and suspending licenses, throw them in jail for some years after just one offense. Make them really see how severe it is to drive while intoxicated, even if they (luckily) did not hurt anyone. Serving up to 90 days in jail plus a suspension of driver’s license for 18 months does not seem like a severe enough punishment to me. Hit them hard enough after the first offense that there won’t BE a second offense. Don’t allow them a way out just by hiring a fancy high-priced lawyer, because otherwise they just continue to buy their way out of punishment.
People argue that this plan takes away our rights, but driving is not a right and people do not take seem to take it seriously. If someone is stupid enough to get behind the wheel while intoxicated, they deserve to be hit with a callous punishment along with having their driving privileges revoked; they have proven they do not have enough responsibility to have a license to drive.
I am commenting on Adrianna’s blog about the Austin Police Department drawing blood from drivers who are suspected of being intoxicated.
I believe this is a good idea and might be more effective than the breathalyzer. I think the idea of them possibly being poked with a needle if they are pulled over will make them think twice about drinking and driving. Many people are killed by drunk drivers every year and we need to do anything in our power to try and lower this number. I did some research on this topic and found that the Austin DWI patrol officers will be trained to draw blood, so there’s not some random officer drawing your blood that doesn’t know what he’s doing. Anyone who is against this and says that it invades our rights can simply just take the breathalyzer test. But people can avoid this conflict all together if they would just stop drinking and driving.
I think Adrianna did a good job of getting her point across and expressing how she felt about the situation. She says that this program would help encourage everyone to have a safer weekend, which is exactly what we need. Her blog was well written and I agree with everything she had to say.
I am commenting on the Texas Blogbonnet blog, which talks about the upcoming weekend of halloween and the drinking that will be involved in downtown Austin.The Austin Police Department has a new program that involves drawing blood from any drivers suspected of being intoxicated.Drivers will be asked to take the regular breathalyzer test, how ever if they refuse to do so, they will be forced to have blood drawn from them on the spot.I believe this is a great idea the Police Department came up with, because drunk drivers put them selves and every driver out there in danger. Im sure alot of people are not overwhelmed with the fact of getting a needle in them if they have only had a few beers, but like she said, the breathalyzer will be used first, so if you dont have nothing to hide, you should not worry about getting poked. i think she did a great job of putting the post together, it explains very detailed what the APD plans on doing, and what she thinks of these plans. i also agree with her with the idea of enforcing this program past halloween, i think it will highly reduce the drinking and driving and the accidents cause by drunk drivers.
Adrianna, the author of the blog The Texas Blogbonnet, posted a blog discussing the new plans made by the Austin police department to reduce drunk drivers from being on the road. The new plan made by the Austin police department went into effect on Halloween weekend. Austin police officers will test the blood of suspected intoxicated drivers if the driver refuses to take the breathalyzer test. Adrianna points out that the blood of the suspected intoxicated driver will be taken on the spot. The blog also states that with success of the new plan on Halloween night will lead to the use of the plan every busy party night.
Adrianna’s blog truly conveys the importance of the new plan for Austin police department against drunk drivers. She relates the importance of having fun on a holiday, but at the same time being safe is a major concern. Drunk driving does not benefit anyone and only has the possibility to damage lives. The blog also shows that with this new plan intact will provide not only safety for the drunk drivers, but also everyone that could be possible hurt. Adrianna demonstrates the concern for everyone, but displays the responsibilities to having fun.
I completely agree with Adrianna on her blog. The police department’s number one responsibility is to keep all citizens safe. One blood test could save many lives. Although I also think that the blood test is an intrusion of privacy, it may be worth it because it would save many lives. People should not suffer due to the poor decision of another.
My classmate Adrianna Cardenas recently commented on the new program enacted by the Austin Police Department. Originally designed to prevent drunk driving on Halloween, the program consisted of blood testing drivers who refused to take breathalyzer tests. The success of the program was evident Halloween night when more than a handful of partying motorists were apprehended and are now being charged with DWI’s .Although no final decisions have been made, Austin is now considering making the program permanent. Adrianna, who wrote the blog a few nights before Halloween, agreed with police and supported such a program. She reminds us of the dangers of drunk driving and how important it is to prevent them. Her logic and argument is sound, and you can’t argue with results. I agree with Miss Cardenas. I do think the extensions of such a program would be beneficial to our community.
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