AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department recently announced that it extended its "No Refusal" effort into a year-round initiative. It previously operated under specific, short periods like holiday weekends or times when local schools and universities were on breaks. Austin woman applauds APD for new year-long ‘No Refusal’ program after husband dies in DWI crash APD and the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department (TPW) held a joint news conference Thursday morning to talk about details of the initiative and why APD moved to establish it as a year-round effort. No Refusal is a program done in collaboration between APD and the city’s Vision Zero program, which aims to reduce the number of severe and fatal crashes on Austin roadways, according to APD. Under the No Refusal initiative, APD can obtain a blood search warrant during specific hours “when an arrested driver refuses to submit to a blood alcohol test,” per APD. APD Detective Jason Day, an impaired driving investigations detective, said the initiative will only be in effect during nighttime hours and not 24/7. According to the city, the enforcement initiative will be in effect between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Monday through Sunday throughout the year. Day said the program was expanded following the summertime initiative, which operated each night in June, July and August. He said APD saw a 30% increase in warrants issued during that time period compared to the summer of 2023. Said warrants are for charges relating to impaired driving, like DWIs, DWI with a child passenger, intoxication assault, intoxication manslaughter, etc. Austin Police to run ‘No Refusal’ initiative this summer Day also mentioned that reinstating APD's DWI unit is a priority, but the staffing challenges the department has faced over the last few years have limited those efforts. According to officials, impaired driving crashes happen the most on weekend nights and holidays. Richard Mendoza, the director of TPW, emphasized the importance of people utilizing alternate forms of transportation, rather than driving, if they expect to drink alcohol or end up drinking too much. Mendoza listed several modes of transit people can use besides driving, like rideshare, public transportation or having a designated driver.