URBAN myths about drink driving have been exposed by a company which helps motorists decide if they are safe to get behind the wheel. Alco Sense, which makes pocket breath test kits, made the revelations after the recent prosecution of former Welsh rugby international JPR Williams who tried to get away with drink driving by putting a penny under his tongue. The company says the only safe advice for people who have had a drink is not to drive. Here’s what Alco Sense says are some common misconceptions about drinking and driving: 1. Strong coffee will keep me alert, sober me up. Only time will rid your body of alcohol. Caffeine in coffee cannot keep you alert and restore judgment. 2. Bigger people can handle their alcohol better. It is true that body size can affect in the rate alcohol is absorbed, but you must also consider individual metabolism, the amount of rest you had and when you last ate. 3. Put a piece of metal in your mouth, suck a copper coin. This one has shot up the charts recently, thanks to the publicity given to the JPR Williams case. As he found out, it doesn't work... 4. Hold your breath before the test. This will actually have the opposite effect and make your breath reading falsely high. This is because the concentration of alcohol in the air in the lungs will become higher because the air is not passing through them, but you blood will continue to flow round. 5. Hyper ventilate before the test. This will have the effect of lowering your breath sample, but the police are wise to it - that's why they'll talk to you for a few minutes before the test to make sure you haven't got the chance to do this. 6. Spray fresh breath spray into your mouth before the test. Most fresh breath sprays have a very high concentration of mint, which can fool the breathalyser into reading higher. 7. Burp it out This causes the liquids and/or gases from the stomach - including any alcohol - to rise up into the soft tissue of the esophagus and oral cavity, where it will stay until it has dissipated. Again, this one's more likely to put you behind bars of the metal variety. 8. Drink lots of water A breathalyser measures the content of alcohol in the air in your lungs and contrary to popular belief has nothing to do with your stomach or urine. Leave this one to help with the hangover. Alco Sense says that only time can reduce blood alcohol content after drinking and that other so-called remedies such as cold showers, exercise, fresh air, vomiting, or taking tablets can be discounted. The legal UK drink drive limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood which is equivalent to just more than one and a half pints of beer or a glass of wine. Hunter Abbott, Alco Sense chief executive said: "Breathalysers are pretty foolproof devices and if you have been drinking there is no escaping a positive result. "The best advice for anyone who has had a drink is, don't drive. You will always find people trying them [urban myths]. But police have seen them all and if they think you are trying it on, you will get more closely examined." | 
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