Discovering The Truth Behind Breathalyzer Myths

One night when you’re out and you’ve had a little too much to drink, you might think twice before driving home if you’re worried about being pulled over and made to take a breathalyzer test. A breathalyzer test uses your breath to estimate your blood-alcohol content, and the police routinely use breathalyzers to decide whether people are likely driving while influenced by alcohol.

So what is a breathalyzer test? It’s actually a pretty effective way to determine how much alcohol you’ve had to drink. A police officer may give you the test and then arrest you on suspicion of drunk driving if your breathalyzer test results are positive. The breathalyzer test has helped lots of people be safer on the streets. It helps determine if someone has been drinking enough to be a danger to themselves or other people on the road if they are driving, but it also can prevent those people from driving in the first place. If a person who’s been drinking too much knows they might be pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving and then given a breathalyzer test, he or she might not drive to begin with it – and that can only be a good thing.

That said, though, people have thought for a long time that they may be able to beat the breathalyzer if they do certain things. Let’s take a look at these myths and what’s really true.

Breathalyzers determine the amount of alcohol in your blood: They don’t actually do this. Instead, they measure how much alcohol is on your breath and then calculate an estimate of your blood-alcohol content based on that.

Sucking on a penny can lower your blood-alcohol content reading: Not true. It won’t do anything except give you a bad taste in your mouth.

Sucking on breath mints or chewing gum can lower your estimated blood-alcohol level: They won’t do anything like that. The breathalyzer can still measure the alcohol content in your breath.

Mouthwash helps to lower the breathalyzer’s estimate of your blood-alcohol content: Not so. The opposite actually is true. Using mouthwash can artificially INCREASE the blood-alcohol reading a breathalyzer gives. Any alcohol in the mouthwash will be added into the breathalyzer’s reading of your “alcohol breath.”

Breathalyzers are 100% totally accurate: This isn’t true either. Breathalyzers detect and measure ethanol and other substances that have similar chemical structures. Typically, a breathalyzer test is followed by a blood test to obtain a more accurate blood-alcohol reading. But the breathalyzer is an effective screening test that can effectively remove alcohol-impaired drivers from the streets. Breathalyzers are also a deterrent; as said before, if you’re more likely to be pulled over, made to take a breathalyzer test and then be taken in for additional questioning, you’ll probably be less likely to drive, even if you’ve only had “just a little too much” alcohol to drink.

So what’s the moral of the breathalyzer story? Don’t drive if you’ve had any alcoholic drinks. Take a cab or have someone drive you home, then come back and pick up your car after you’ve sobered up. The breathalyzer is, after all, accurate enough to do its job, which is to keep drunk drivers off the road. Don’t let it get you while you’re “under the influence.”

Written by Robin Saunders, an experienced writer that tackles various topics such as alcohol, DUI, breathalyzers etc. The author owns a breath tester himself and it’s time to get one for yourself.

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