A PENNY FOR YOUR SHOTS?

WRITER: FRED HILTON

It seemed appropriate I first heard this fascinating story at a cocktail party—some people believe sucking on a penny can beat a Breathalyzer test. It wasn’t just a theory, the fellow told me, but a fact.

“The copper and zinc from the penny keep the Breathalyzer from registering properly,” he says.

Of course, we all know drinking and driving is like texting while driving—stupid, dangerous, and illegal. Research revealed that a variation on the story says doing this causes an unusually high reading, providing a defense of machine malfunction.

However, drunk drivers can quit rejoicing. The sucking myth is just that—a myth. In 2003, the cast of “Mythbusters” tested the trick. The pennies had no effect on the Breathalyzer.

HowStuffWorks.com agrees. Some Breathalyzers in the past may have been fooled but not those now used. “Breathalyzers provide an infrared light that changes in intensity based on alcohol content in the mouth. First, the Breathalyzer’s light passes through a sample of the person’s breath which will cause the intensity of the light to change. The change can be used to calculate the amount of alcohol in the sample, and therefore, the person’s drunkenness. It’s complicated for a little machine, but it was developed specifically because it’s hard, if not impossible, to fool.”

Sources

“Can You Trick a Breathalyzer?” BACtrack.com https://www.bactrack.com/blogs/expert-center/35040389-can-you-trick-a-breathalyzer

Additionally, standard procedure for police is to wait 15 to 20 minutes before taking a sample to observe behavior and ensure any recently imbibed substance is fully absorbed into the bloodstream.

The quintessential urban legend debunker, Snopes.com, pulls no punches in shooting down the penny myth: “Pennies held in the mouth no more fool the Breathalyzer than would hopping on one foot while reciting the Lord’s Prayer,” Snopes says.

So if you’re foolish enough to drive while drinking, go ahead and suck that penny. You’ll have a nice imprint of Abraham Lincoln’s profile on the inside of your cheek when they book you.

“Will Sucking on a Penny Fool a Breathalyzer Test?” by David Emery, Urban Legends, About.com, August 21, 2016, http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/crime/fl/Will-Sucking-on-Penny-Fool-a-Breathalyzer-Test.htm

“Can a penny help you pass a Breathalyzer?” by Cherise Lapine, How Stuff Works http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/can-a-penny-help-pass-breathalyzer.htm/printable

“Take My Breath Away,” by David Mikkelson, Snopes.com, April 9, 2012, http://www.snopes.com/autos/law/breath.asp

“Suck a Penny,” DUI Central Blog, Law Offices of Taylor & Taylor https://www.duicentral.com/blog/2012/07/23/suck-a-penny/

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