New Mexico’s Deadliest Roads and Fatal Accident Statistics

10 Deadliest Road Stretches in New Mexico

Drunk Driving Involved in 28% of Fatal Accidents

Out of the 1,060 recorded fatal crashes in New Mexico between 2017 and 2019, 296 were associated with drunk driving.

State law considers drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.8% legally drunk. However, alcohol begins impairing your ability to operate a car at a lower BAC. A BAC of 0.2% is enough to cause slow reaction time, lack of coordination and reduced concentration.

The cost of drunk driving is high, even if it doesn’t result in fatalities. At the very least, your license might be suspended and your driving privileges restricted. Worst case scenario, you could face possible jail time. Another guaranteed outcome is less affordable auto insurance in New Mexico.

Speeding Is a Factor in 35% of Fatal Crashes

From 2017 to 2019, speeding contributed to 370 fatal crashes in New Mexico. That’s 35% of the total number of accidents resulting in deaths recorded in the state.

Driving your car above the legal speed limit has several consequences, such as a higher likelihood of losing control and increased stopping distance. It also increases the probability of a severe injury since speeding minimizes the effectiveness of protective equipment inside and outside your car.

Distracted Driving Contributed to 36% of Fatal Accidents

Distracted driving was involved in 382 deadly crashes in the state, or 36% of all accidents that resulted in death. MoneyGeek’s distracted driving study found that New Mexico is the worst state in the U.S. for distracted driving and has the highest distracted driving fatality rate in the country.

October Had More Fatal Accidents Than Any Other Month

MoneyGeek also looked at when most fatal accidents occurred during the year. October had the highest number of crashes of any month, with 112 resulting in death; that translates to 10.6% of all fatal accidents in New Mexico between 2017 and 2019. After October, the two months with the next-highest incidents of deadly crashes are December (98) and July (94).

Driving Safely Protects You, Others and Your Wallet

Being a safe driver doesn’t just help save lives — it also allows you to manage your finances better. Sometimes, accidents happen no matter how hard we try to drive carefully, pointing to the necessity of car insurance. Having coverage is one way to ensure you and your loved ones have protection.

The average cost of full coverage insurance in New Mexico is $1,133 per year on average. The average cost of auto insurance in Albuquerque, the state's most populous city, is the same. Drivers in other cities may have different rates, though.

The premiums mentioned above only reflect average rates. Remember that you may receive a different quote based on your age, driving history and other individualized factors. Costs also vary between insurers, so comparing quotes from multiple providers can help you find the cheapest car insurance company for your needs.

Fatal Accidents and Most Dangerous Roads: County Breakdown

The five counties in New Mexico with the most occurrences of fatal accidents accounted for nearly 60% of all crashes resulting in deaths. That translates to 634 incidents in three years.

Bernalillo had 287 fatal crashes, the most of any county. Most of these happened along I-4 and involved distracted driving and speeding.

Methodology

Using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) database, MoneyGeek analyzed fatality data from 2017, 2018 and 2019. Currently, 2019 is the latest data available in the system.