You’re on your way home from a barbecue or a bar, and you had a couple of drinks with your dinner – so your stomach practically drops through the floor when you see those red and blue lights behind you. You don’t think you’re impaired, but you’re still worried.
You’ve heard from a friend or read online that putting a penny in your mouth will actually “beat” a Breathalyzer test because the copper interferes with the device’s operating mechanism or somehow neutralizes the alcohol molecules in your breath. Should you surreptitiously tuck a penny in your mouth before the officer gets to your window?
That’s a choking hazard, and it won’t help you avoid a high BAC
There’s no truth to the folktale about copper pennies (which are a rarity, anyhow, since the primary metal in a penny is actually zinc these days) lowering a blood alcohol content (BAC) reading. At best, it does nothing. At worst, you run the risk of choking on it when you try to blow into the Breathalyzer.
Urban legends abound about things like this, but you also cannot beat a breath alcohol test by:
- Using mouthwash, gum or mints to disguise the alcohol
- Eating paper or cloth to soak up the alcohol
- Holding your breath or belching before the test
- Chasing your regular drinks with a Zima
The only urban legend with any truth to it is that hyperventilating before you breathe into a device that measures your blood alcohol content can (possibly) lower your BAC by 10% – but you can absolutely bet that the officer is going to notice if you try this trick and ask you to retake it.
If you’ve made a mistake, you’re not out of options. When you’re up against a drunk driving charge, find out more about the available defenses.