Getting caught driving under the influence can turn out to be quite a traumatic experience. This is because there is a world of repercussions for anyone who dares to drink and drive.
Since DUI causes the majority of road accidents, it is natural that the authorities try hard to put a stop to drunken driving once and for all. The repercussions that might befall you are as follows: huge fines, license suspension, attorney charges and even spending some time in prison.
Now, it might happen that you have heard some stories about how you can cheat an officer who is about to charge you with DUI. There are many stories and ‘myths’ about how you can sober up immediately.
[Read: Why Your Driving Skills Are Essential For Your Safety On The Road]
These are all false and you should not listen to them. The only way to be clean on an alcohol test is to not imbibe alcohol before driving. (Accidentally, that is also the way to drive carefully on the road and pose no danger to others.)
Myths
Since there are so many myths, I will list just a few here. These are the ones that I have found particularly interesting.
CITA (Caught In The Act)
People think that you can be charged with DUI only if you are behind the wheel at the moment when the policeman catches you. This could not be farther from the truth, since the police officers are allowed by law to charge you even if they see you act funny outside the car and they can prove that you have driven recently.
BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration)
Another myth is that you cannot be charged if your blood alcohol level is below .08. While this may be so in some states, in many others you can get charged for a minor driving offense called ‘driving impaired’ which will cost you just as much. The only thing is that you will not have to go to court.
Lying to police
It is generally thought that you can ‘lie’ your way out of a DUI ticket. You can tell the officer that you have not been drinking at all and, if he believes you and you act normally, you can get away without charges.
This is, of course, not true and can only make your situation harder, since you can be also charged with the obstruction of justice. This brings on additional fines and is, generally, an aggravating factor. It’s better to say that you’ve had one drink. Then you might have some chances of driving away without a charge.
Penny sucking
I was really amused by this one. Apparently, if you suck on a penny or any other type of coin, you can cheat the breath-analyzer. This is based on the fact that you can change the composition of your breath by adding copper to it.
However, the breath-analyzers require you to breathe deep from the lungs. This means that no amount of copper in your mouth is going to neutralize the alcohol from your lungs. The only thing that you will show to the officer is that you are really afraid of getting caught, which will make you even more suspicious.
The safest and the only foolproof plan for avoiding getting charged with drunk driving is that you do NOT drink AT ALL. Alcohol belongs behind the bar, not behind the wheel. There is no way to cheat.
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