Car Crash Statistics – New Mexico
Motor Vehicle Fatalities and Crashes – New Mexico
A total of 402 fatalities were reported in New Mexico in 2016. This is a significant increase from 298 fatalities in 2015 and 386 fatalities reported in 2014. The deadliest months in 2016 were April and July. The three-year trend from 2014-2016 shows that deaths in the state are most common in July and October. Fatalities are lowest early on in the year between January and February. Of all fatalities, 113 were due to car crashes. Bernalillo County reported 100 fatalities in 2016, the highest among all counties. This is an increase from 64 deaths in the county in 2015.
Out of the 402 fatalities in 2016, 174 were alcohol related. This is also an increase from 2015 which reported 120 alcohol-related fatalities. 43.4% of all fatalities in 2016 were alcohol-related while 36.6% were because of lack of seatbelt usage. There was a not a significant difference in the rate of fatalities between urban (163 fatalities) and rural (159 fatalities). However, the number of seniors who died increased significantly in 2016 to 60 senior deaths compared to 37 in 2015. It is making an effort to address this issue. It has developed an Older Driver Program (ODP) to address at risk population of drivers and to provide education and resources to older drivers. The goal is to prolong the time that these seniors can drive safely.
Causes of Crashes and Fatalities
Analysis from a car-insurance comparison group shows that this state has the second-worst drivers in the country. This is a sharp decline in driver reputation. New Jersey used to be the 19th worst in 2013 and 29th worst in 2012. New Mexico also ranked fifth for the most careless driving and 10th for the most drunken driving arrests. It was 17th in traffic fatalities, 12th for speeding and 16th for other citations. It also has many drivers without insurance. Data by Insurance Research Council shows that in 2012, 21.6% of the state's drivers did not have insurance. This is very high compared to the national average of 12.6%.
In this state, motor vehicle traffic related injuries are among the leading causes of injury death among people 1 to 24 years of age. The State was able to meet its performance targets for reducing total deaths in 2016 by 1.4%. There was a reduction of 16.9% in traffic related serious injuries. Alcohol -related fatalities decreased by 16.2% between 2014 and 2015. Speeding-related fatalities decreased by 2.3% over a three-year period, but the State did not meet its reduction target for 2016. It was also not able to reduce the number of under age 21 drivers in fatal crashes.