New Mexico DUI blood alcohol

By author on July 8th, 2008

Reader’s Question:

I never heard of this TruTouch machine which is being used to test blood alcohol. My daughter was arrested for DUI here in New Mexico and she said that the police officer used this test to her. Will the test result of the TruTouch machine be admissible in court?

Sofia

Santa Fe, NM

Blood alcohol content (BAC) test is perhaps the most important part of any DUI arrest. Evidence from a blood test or breath test can provide evidence that’s difficult to dispute. Currently, blood and breath test devices have several drawbacks which are often highlighted by DUI lawyers in their defense. With the introduction of a new machine from TruTouch Technologies, though, many believe that those problems could be solved.

TruTouch Technologies launched its first DUI-detection product in early 2007. This machine tests blood alcohol by holding a suspect’s arm and shining an infrared light on his/her skin which tests alcohol levels in the bloodstream. The machine produces results about a minute which is significantly less time than a breathalyzer machine which takes about 20 minutes and urine and blood tests which take several days.

Evidently, this product has proved popular among several New Mexico alcohol rehabilitation-related institutions, including probation-related programs, residential treatment centers and minimum security jails with furlough programs.

Evidence from the TruTouch machine is not admissible in DUI court cases because it has not yet been proven accurate and reliable. Some New Mexico police are testing DUI suspects with both conventional methods of alcohol detection and the TruTouch machine as part of the process of gathering data on TruTouch machines’ accuracy.

Categorized under: DUI lawyer New Mexico.
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