The local paper calls it "no-refusal" weekend. But the politically correct phrase is Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. The "or" implies sober drivers won't get pulled over, however each of us can draw on our own experiences to decide whether that's the case. But the catch phrase probably sounded a lot more palatable to the focus group than "forced needle stick."
The no-refusal process is a fast track to an involuntary blood draw in which a Judge or Justice of the Peace is on call to sign a warrant against anyone refusing to blow. They had one in Houston earlier in the year, and here's a writeup of a cop car ride-along, including a description of the field sobriety test.
Speaking of field sobriety tests, we can't leave this without a link to Clementine Johnson of Reno 911 demonstrating the dance version of the field sobriety test, which in that case, resulted in a confession.
Party hard and drive sober.
I'm not sure they're doing anybody any favors by prettying up the name.
Instead, maybe the ad campaign ought to feature a drunk driver getting some very unwanted, very uncomfortable, personal attention from some overly-chummy, hairy dudes in the local jail.
Yeah, maybe that's not a necessarily-accurate portrayal of a night's stay in the local pokey (dunno, never been there) but maybe it would paint an indelible picture for party animals.
Posted by: Rob O. | September 05, 2011 at 08:21 PM
Rob O, the sheriff held an open house at the new jail in Midland a couple of weeks ago before any prisoners were transferred in.
Aside from that, there aren't many opportunities for citizens to see the inside of a jail and be able to leave at will.
As for a "scared straight" type TV ad, that's a bit dicey. An ad like that might alienate too many people as it's really only a very small percentage of the population that drives while impaired. But who knows? Maybe one is on the drawing board for the next ad campaign.
Posted by: Geo | September 06, 2011 at 06:01 AM