Austin, TX
APD's 'No Refusal' program aims to curb DWI incidents, now in effect all year
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Police have announced it’s expanding its ‘No Refusal’ Initiative to now be year-round.
Once reserved for holidays, it requires an automatic blood draw for suspected drunk drivers who refuse a breathalyzer test.
Back in June, A.P.D. announced it would be running its ‘No Refusal’ initiative all summer, which they say led to a 30-percent increase in the number of warrants issued for drinking and driving compared to the summer of 2023. Now they want to replicate that success over the entire year.
Drinking and driving is an epidemic in Texas, and numbers from the Texas Department of Transportation show there were nearly 1,000 DWI-related crashes in Austin last year. These crashes resulted in 18 deaths and nearly 350 injuries, a far cry from the city of Austin’s goal of Vision Zero.
“Vision Zero is our aspiration to achieve zero fatalities and serious injuries on our roadway network.” City of Austin Director of Transportation and Public Works Richard Mendoza said.
The city says many partnerships and programs go into Vision Zero, but they say the Austin Police Department’s No Refusal Initiative has been one of the more successful ones. If someone suspected of driving while intoxicated is pulled over and refuses a breathalyzer test, they’re taken into custody and a warrant is issued for a blood test.
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“We would love it if nobody drinks and drives ever,” A.P.D. Detective Jason Day said. “and that I didn’t have to be up here, we didn’t have to be taking people’s blood.”
The initiative originally rolled out during the holidays, including this past Memorial Day which led to ten warrants and more than 30 arrests. Then A.P.D. kept it going for the entire summer, and Day says it led to a 30-percent increase in blood sample warrants from the summer of 2023.
“Now with the advent of all rideshares, you can get a car there in a matter of minutes,” Day said. “So there’s really no excuse for people being behind the wheel and driving after they’ve had too much to drink.”
Criminal defense attorney Brad Vinson says technically every weekend is ‘No Refusal’ in the state of Texas…
“If you refuse to provide a sample of your breath or blood, a police officer can go see a magistrate, get a warrant, and get your blood anyways, as long as they have probable cause to arrest you for DWI,” Vinson said.
You can still refuse, initiative or not. That, though, could lead to more serious consequences.
“When you’ve been arrested for a DWI, 15 days from then, your driving rights in Texas will be suspended,” Vinson said.
For now, APD says this will only happen at night because they don’t have the staffing to dedicate patrol officers to traffic or D.W.I.s. But Day says in an ideal world, this initiative wouldn’t be needed at all.
“We want people to get out and enjoy the community, but we want to make sure they have a plan and a safe ride home,” Day said.
There’s always been a judge presiding over the jail 24/7, but A.P.D. says it will also be bringing in a “DWI expert” to help officers work through the warrant process more quickly and efficiently.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ highway system dropped two spots since 2025, and now ranks at No. 27 in the country for its cost-effectiveness and overall conditions, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2026 Highway Report.
The report assessed pavement conditions, fatalities, deficient bridges, infrastructure costs and congestion levels across the United States. Texas earned the following rankings:
- 33rd in urban interstate pavement conditions
- 21st in rural interstate pavement conditions
- 39th in urban arterial pavement conditions
- 12th in rural arterial pavement conditions
- 3rd in structurally deficient bridges
- 26th in urban fatality rate
- 42nd in rural fatality rate
- 41st in traffic congestion
“More than 42,000 of the nation’s 618,923 highway bridges, nearly 7%, are still structurally deficient. Arizona, Nevada, and Texas reported the lowest percentages of deficient bridges,” the report said.
The full report can be found online.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Small hail peppered the Austin area as strong thunderstorms moved through Saturday.
A few of the storms dropped rain and up to pea-sized hail in San Marcos, Dripping Springs and the Austin metro area.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Williamson County around 8:15 p.m., and then canceled shortly after. However, it was enough for the Two Step Inn music festival in Georgetown to cancel shows for the rest of the evening. Event organizers say the festival will run as planned Sunday.
KXAN’s First Warning Weather team is monitoring the storms. We will update this post as the evening continues.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution unveiled a new monument at the Texas State Cemetery on Saturday, dedicated to Texas Revolutionary War soldiers.
“We must educate every generation about why it is that America grew from a tenuous 13 colonies into the most powerful country in the history of the world,” said Governor Abbott. “This monument here is an enduring testament to the heroes who fought for the freedom that is unique to America.”
The monument was dedicated to 69 soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Texas, according to a press release.
Among those that were honored, Abbott recognized:
- José Santiago Seguín, grandfather of Texas Revolutionary hero Juan Seguín.
- Peter Sides, who fought in the 2nd Battalion of the North Carolina Regiment of the Colonial Army, and was later killed in the 1813 Battle of Medina, fighting for Mexican independence against Spain.
- Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, the founder of Nacogdoches.
- William Sparks, who fought as a mounted rifleman in the American Revolution and later settled in Texas. He had two sons and two grandsons who fought in the Texas Revolution.
“This year marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which not only gave freedom to the British colonies of North America, but inspired movements for freedom and liberty all over the world,” said TSSAR President Mel Oller. “Texans played a role in the war too, and it’s important to recognize them, and the sacrifices they made for our freedom.”
At the monument unveiling, Abbott was also inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and received its Silver Good Citizenship Medal.
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