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Traffic Accidents in New Mexico

Despite not ranking at the forefront among U.S. states with the highest accident rates, New Mexico experiences a considerable frequency of accidents. According to official reports, factors such as speeding, driving under the influence, and driver fatigue have also played a significant role in causing these accidents within the state.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) has released its annual report of the number of fatalities that have occurred in the state of New Mexico in 2022. They have announced that there has been a total of 467 road deaths in the last year. 

After comparing the data of this year to the same of the previous years, it seems that while the deaths have gone down compared to the count of 481 in 2021, it has greatly increased from the count of 2020 which was 398. 

The NMDOT has also reported the vehicles involved in all these road deaths – 

  • 142 of them were car deaths 
  • 93 of them were on foot 
  • 82 of them were in vans/SUVs
  • 64 of them were in pickups 
  • 55 of them were on motorcycles
  • 19 of them were in semi-trucks or buses
  • 4 of them were on bicycles 
  • 2 of them were on ATVs
  • The remaining deaths have been classified as “vehicle other/unknown”

The most common cause of these fatalities was also included in the report. Alcohol was a factor in 23% of the deaths (106). Of these 106, 8 were motorcyclist fatalities and 20 were pedestrian fatalities. The areas in New Mexico which had the most fatal number of DUIs were District 5 (Santa Fe) and District 6 (Grants/Milan). They have also reported that 118 of the deaths involved people who were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident. District 2 (Roswell) had the most fatalities due to people not wearing seatbelts, 51.7%. 

The NMDOT has also released a report on the areas which experienced the most number of fatalities in the state. They have said that the deaths were spread pretty evenly across the rural and the urban areas – 242 deaths were in the rural areas while there were 225 of them in the urban areas. Bernalillo County witnessed the most number of deaths with a whopping 111 fatalities. On the other hand, De Baca, Harding and Los Alamos counties had none.

July was reportedly the month that experienced the most number of fatalities with 51 of them. January had the fewest with a count of 30. The reports have also mentioned that 57 of the fatalities were of minors under the age of 21. 67 of them were people who were 65 years or older. 

New Mexico Accidents Today:

On average, there is at least one person dying every day in New Mexico. You can take a look at the fatalities and how they occurred so that you may be careful here on Nationwide. 

New Mexico Accidents Yesterday:

Nationwide Report provides daily updates on all the fatalities that occur in New Mexico. Even if you were looking for an accident that occurred the previous day, we will have a record of it here for you. 

New Mexico Accident Reports:

Any type of accident, no matter how small or large, has a record here on Nationwide Report. In case you are not able to find the one you are looking for, you can make a request on the website for that particular accident with a few simple steps and we will provide it for you.

New Mexico Accident FAQ

According to the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division, the minimum auto liability insurance is $25,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person, $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons, and. $10,000 for property damage in any one accident (“25/50/10”).

No, New Mexico is an at-fault state. This implies that the driver that caused the accident is liable for all the damages incurred to all the vehicles involved in the accident.

Yes. It’s illegal to drink alcohol or possess open containers of alcohol in New Mexico while driving a motor vehicle, subject to some exceptions listed in New Mexico’s Statute Section 66-8-139.

They would be personally liable for any damages that occurred from the auto, motorcycle or truck accident.

If you or any passenger is injured and requires medical assistance or the accident resulted in the death of an individual, it is highly recommended to involve an attorney licensed in New Mexico.

Collision and crash reports are not available for public viewing due to the sensitive nature of the information provided. If you require an accident report, you must submit an online request at the site for the Department of Traffic, New Mexico. Also, consider contacting the New Mexico State Police or the local law enforcement agency that you believe responded to the accident. They are responsible for investigating and documenting accidents within their jurisdiction.

You could also request an accident report through Nationwide Report, and find out how much your accident claim is worth too.

Yes, all accidents regardless of the severity, have to be reported to the authorities. Following the report, those involved have up to 3 years to open a claim for any bodily injuries incurred in the accident and 4 years for any damages to the property.

According to recent reports, Gallup is the most dangerous city in New Mexico. This has been the case for the last few years. 

In case you are not able to procure insurance for your vehicle before driving, there are several penalties you will be subject to. Your vehicle registration will be suspended and the license plate will be confiscated. If you do not comply, you may be subjected to criminal penalties.

New Mexico State Law has specified that people need minimum liability coverage before being able to drive a motor vehicle. The amounts required are listed below:

  • $25,000 in bodily injury can be incurred per person
  • $10,000 in property damage per accident
  • $50,000 in total bodily injury per accident

New Mexico is a fault-based state. The driver who has been found to have caused the accident will be responsible for covering all the charges for damages incurred. 

This fault is normally determined by examining the events leading up to the accident. While there are situations in which one driver was entirely responsible for the accident, it is more common to see accidents being caused by more than one person. In this case, the fault is divided between the drivers involved according to the extent of the role played by each driver. 

The most common causes of motor vehicle accidents have been determined to be speed, driving under the influence, and driver fatigue.

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