There were no refusals during no-refusal weekend, but there were plenty of citations as over 200 tickets were written during the crackdown in Warren County.
According to Tennessee Highway Patrol reports, the THP, McMinnville Police Department, and Warren County Sheriff’s Department combined to issue 205 citations and 30 warning tickets in Warren County this weekend.
Officers also made eight drunk driving arrests, two of which were made during pre-announced roadblocks Saturday night. There were also two felony drug stops.
The no-refusal law went into effect this year. It allows law enforcement to obtain a search warrant to require a motorist to submit to a blood test if they are suspected of driving while impaired. Prior to the new law, a motorist could have his or her license taken for one year under the implied consent law if they did not submit to a blood or breath test.
Warren County was chosen as a proving ground for the new law due to its high rate of fatalities thus far this year. A total of 11 people have died in wrecks in Warren County. Fatalities are also up around the state as 508 people had died in crashes in Tennessee as of Monday.
“We didn’t have anyone refuse,” said THP Capt. R.J. Christian, noting lawmen and prosecutors were ready to seek search warrants against any motorist who refused the test.
While the new no-refusal law did not have to be enforced, the weekend was successful as there were no serious traffic accidents in Warren County during the crackdown. The effort included saturated patrols by both city and county lawmen, as well as tripling the Highway Patrol contingent here for the weekend.
Officers also were pushing seatbelt usage as they wrote 28 seatbelt violations. There were also 28 citations for driving without a license, and 45 were cited for not having proof of insurance.