Breathalyser beliefs

Each Christmas we are bombarded with campaigns which warn of the dreadful consequences of drink driving. We see shocking adverts on TV and posters on billboards which warn that crashing your car can do much more than dent your chances of cheap car insurance.

We are told that a million people across the world are killed as a result of drink driving each year, while just in England and Wales over-the-limit motorists cause 3,000 people to be seriously injured or killed. Statistics show that in the UK, half of all 18 to 25 year olds die due to drink driving.

Despite these worrying findings, about four million people in the UK are still expected to take to the road after drinking too much this festive season. Many of these motorists are prepared to do so because they are unfazed by the chance of getting stopped by the police and don't believe they will crash if they drive a bit more carefully to compensate for the alcohol.

So why doesn't the thought of getting stopped by the police hold any fear for these motorists? If caught drink driving, they face being banned from driving for at least a year, as well as vastly increased motor insurance quotes for years.

Some simply believe that the police won't stop them. Whilst it is inevitable that some of these people are right and they will get away with it, others are going to be proven very wrong.

The police are well aware of the problem of drink driving over the Christmas period and are planning to crack down on offenders in most major cities and towns across the UK. Thousands of motorists will be stopped randomly in an effort to remove dangerous drink drivers from our roads and it is expected that quite a high percentage of them will be found to be over the limit. Is it still worth gambling that you won't get stopped?

Other drink drivers believe that if they do get stopped, they can just fool the police breathalyser machine and go on their merry way. There are plenty of theories of how to trick breathalysers into producing false results - but which will work?

One of the most common beliefs is that sucking a copper coin will make the breathalyser produce an incorrect reading. Whether this reading under the limit or so unbelievably high that the police will think the machine is malfunctioning depends on which version of the tale you are being told.

All the drink drivers out there will be disappointed to hear that scratching through their change for a one or two pence piece to suck on is a pretty pointless exercise. The copper coating on coins won't have even the slightest effect on the breathalyser reading. This is because the breathalyser monitors blood alcohol (via breath) rather than the amount of alcohol in the saliva. Even if it did take its reading from saliva, one and two pence pieces don't contain enough copper to cause enough of a chemical reaction in the mouth.

Other drivers swear by sucking on mints or using chewing gum to pass breathalyser tests. However, you will usually find that nobody who says this method works has first hand experience of it. That is because it doesn't work.

Sadly, no mint has magical properties that reduce the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream otherwise they would be marketed as a quick solution for sobering up before you get in the car. The very most you can hope for from a mint is fresh-smelling breath when you blow into the breathalyser, which will, incidentally, be giving an accurate reading.

The most widespread belief for reducing the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream is a black coffee. Over 10 million people in the UK think that coffee is a sure fire method of sobering up and think that they will be less drunk if they have a quick cup before jumping in the car. This is often used as a tactic when having to drive the morning after a big night out.

The fact that so many people believe this doesn't make it right. The caffeine contained in coffee may wake you up, making you feel more in control, but does nothing to reduce the actual effects of alcohol on your body. If you get breathalysed by the police, you'll have a blood alcohol level just the same as if you hadn't had the coffee at all.

Really, the best solution to getting a guaranteed clear breathalyser reading is not to drink any alcohol at all. This way you don't risk anyone's life with impaired driving, you don't have to be anxious every time you see a police car and you don't have to worry about losing your cheap car insurance quotes.

 

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