TN Police Step Up DUI Enforcement for New Year's

WKMS | By The Associated Press,

Whitney Jones

Published December 28, 2012 at 6:39 AM CST

Tennessee law enforcement will be using the new "no refusal" law over the weekend before New Year's Eve that allows police to get blood samples of suspected drunken drivers. Previously drivers in Tennessee could refuse a blood alcohol content test but they would face losing their licenses for violating the "implied consent" law. The law passed this year allows police to seek search warrants for blood samples. Police have held "no refusal" enforcement periods during several holidays this year. Sixteen counties across the state will participate in the enforcement period that begins at 6 p.m. Friday and ends at midnight Tuesday. Five people died in vehicle-related accidents last year during the New Year's Eve holiday in Tennessee.

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Whitney Jones

Whitney grew up listening to Car Talk to and from her family’s beach vacation each year, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced her to This American Life that radio really grabbed her attention. She is a recent graduate from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she studied journalism. When she’s not at WKMS, you can find her working on her backyard compost pile and garden, getting lost on her bicycle or crocheting one massive blanket.

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