Fatal Roads

States › New Mexico

NM

State

New Mexico

Residents 2,130,256Deaths 2024 409Deaths 2015–2024 4,096Counties 33Routes with pages 26

FARS data are based on police crash reports and other sources; the drunk-driving measure is based on the highest BAC of any driver in the crash. Latest data year: 2024.

In 2024, 409 people died in 378 fatal crashes in New Mexico; the ten years 2015–2024 total 4,096 deaths in 3,687 crashes.

That is 19.4 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 64% higher than the national rate of 11.8. The ten-year total rose 6% from 3,874 in 2005–2014 to 4,096 in 2015–2024.

Relative to the national shares, speeding stands out most: 35.9% of fatal crashes against 27.2% nationally. 54.5% of the state's fatal crashes were on rural roads and 49.6% happened after dark.

Among counties with at least 50 deaths in the ten years, the highest rates per 100,000 residents were in Guadalupe County (199.2), Torrance County (66.5) and Quay County (59.2).

409deaths in 2024378 fatal crashes
19.4per 100,000 residents a year, 2015–2024US 11.8
+6%ten-year change in deaths3,874 → 4,096
26%crashes with a drinking driverUS 26%

Trend since 1975

0335669197519801985199019952000200520102015202020241975: 555 deaths1976: 549 deaths1977: 668 deaths1978: 669 deaths1979: 633 deaths1980: 606 deaths1981: 544 deaths1982: 577 deaths1983: 531 deaths1984: 497 deaths1985: 535 deaths1986: 499 deaths1987: 568 deaths1988: 487 deaths1989: 538 deaths1990: 499 deaths1991: 469 deaths1992: 460 deaths1993: 431 deaths1994: 447 deaths1995: 485 deaths1996: 485 deaths1997: 484 deaths1998: 424 deaths1999: 460 deaths2000: 432 deaths2001: 464 deaths2002: 449 deaths2003: 439 deaths2004: 521 deaths2005: 488 deaths2006: 484 deaths2007: 413 deaths2008: 366 deaths2009: 361 deaths2010: 349 deaths2011: 350 deaths2012: 366 deaths2013: 311 deaths2014: 386 deaths2015: 298 deaths2016: 405 deaths2017: 380 deaths2018: 392 deaths2019: 425 deaths2020: 398 deaths2021: 483 deaths2022: 466 deaths2023: 440 deaths2024: 409 deaths
People killed in crashes in New Mexico by year, 1975–2024. Latest point: 2024, 409 deaths.

Rate per 100,000 residents, 2000–2024

014272000200520102015202020242000: 23.72001: 25.32002: 24.22003: 23.42004: 27.42005: 25.32006: 24.72007: 20.82008: 18.22009: 17.72010: 16.92011: 16.82012: 17.52013: 14.92014: 18.52015: 14.32016: 19.42017: 18.22018: 18.72019: 20.22020: 18.82021: 22.82022: 222023: 20.72024: 19.2
Deaths per 100,000 residents in New Mexico and nationally, 2000–2024. Latest point: 2024, 19.2. this page United States

Year pages: 20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975

Compared with the nation

MeasureNew MexicoUnited States
Deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 2015–202419.411.8
Deaths per 100,000 residents, 202419.211.5
Deaths, 2015–20244,096389,190
Deaths per fatal crash1.11.1
Change vs previous ten years+6%+7%
Share of the national toll1.1%100%

Factors

Alcoholcrashes with a driver reported as drinking26.4%
Speedingcrashes with a speeding-related driver35.9%
Pedestriansshare of people killed20.5%
Motorcyclistsshare of people killed12.2%
Unrestrainedoccupant deaths with no restraint used54.3%
In darknesscrashes after dark49.6%
Rural roadscrashes on rural roads54.5%

tick marks the US share. Bars are shares of fatal crashes (alcohol, speeding, darkness, rural) or of people killed (pedestrians, motorcyclists, unrestrained occupants) over the ten-year window.

Counties ranked by rate

Deaths per 100,000 residents a year over 2015–2024. Small counties on through routes can rank high on few deaths; the deaths column gives the scale. Counties with fewer than 10 fatal crashes in the ten years show no factor shares.

#CountyResidentsDeaths 2015–2024Per 100k / yrDeaths 2024AlcoholSpeeding
1Guadalupe County4,38587199.21016%25%
2Hidalgo County3,96642100.737%20%
3Mora County4,0963785.31–228%17%
4De Baca County1,6571480.31–236%29%
5Torrance County15,98610366.51413%42%
6Harding County635461.00——
7Quay County8,4035059.2422%24%
8Socorro County15,9679456.91414%20%
9Cibola County26,68614152.5629%46%
10Catron County3,7951541.31–260%53%
11McKinley County68,94527838.91729%40%
12Luna County25,8789538.2321%35%
13Colfax County12,3074435.9520%32%
14Sierra County11,3893732.8431%34%
15Rio Arriba County39,95511629.3938%38%
16Union County3,9261127.0040%60%
17Lea County75,15119426.93125%31%
18Lincoln County20,0255025.2634%34%
19Eddy County61,43614824.92124%39%
20Taos County34,4828023.8747%61%
21Roosevelt County18,7134523.8327%27%
22San Juan County120,81728523.02034%35%
23San Miguel County26,4285821.2835%29%
24Grant County27,5415620.2727%37%
25Chaves County63,69711317.51425%41%
26Bernalillo County671,7471,04315.411723%33%
27Otero County69,7119514.11123%52%
28Santa Fe County157,76520113.21827%30%
29Valencia County80,8139912.81126%54%
30Curry County47,1565912.1327%36%
31Doña Ana County229,36623710.82323%35%
32Sandoval County157,75715710.61337%42%
33Los Alamos County19,67584.21–2——

Routes with the most fatal crashes

#RouteTypeFatal crashesDeathsAlcoholSpeeding
1Interstate 40Interstate37444017%29%
2Interstate 25Interstate31435722%24%
3US Route 285US highway9710419%29%
4Interstate 10Interstate9511812%21%
5State Route 45State highway899218%26%
6US Route 64US highway889426%30%
7US Route 70US highway747815%31%
8US Route 550US highway738525%37%
9US Route 60US highway576418%21%
10US Route 84US highway536632%36%
11US Route 54US highway496016%27%
12US Route 62US highway495522%31%
13US Route 491US highway445221%36%
14State Route 68State highway384432%45%
15State Route 128State highway364525%25%
16State Route 14State highway353520%23%
17State Route 47State highway323331%47%
18State Route 18State highway313829%26%
19US Route 380US highway263031%31%
20State Route 118State highway252928%36%
21State Route 556State highway252736%28%
22State Route 500State highway252728%28%
23US Route 82US highway242821%50%
24State Route 53State highway222446%64%
25US Route 180US highway222727%36%
26State Route 528State highway202140%30%

Signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024; 26 routes in New Mexico qualify. Local streets and county roads are not listed. Long routes carry more traffic and so more crashes; this is a count, not a rate.

Time of day and day of week

12am3am6am9am12pm3pm6pm9pm
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat

Fatal crashes in New Mexico by weekday and hour, 2015–2024: darker cells are busier. 3,684 crashes with a known hour and weekday.

By weekday

Saturday18%
Friday16%
Sunday15%
Wednesday13%
Monday13%
Thursday12%
Tuesday12%

Light condition

Daylight45%
Dark, not lighted33%
Dark, lighted16%
Dusk3%
Dawn3%
Dark, lighting unknown1%

Road type

Other principal arterial37%
Interstate22%
Minor arterial15%
Major collector12%
Local10%
Minor collector3%
Other freeways and expressways1%

FHWA functional classes (FARS FUNC_SYS), share of fatal crashes with a reported class; tick marks the national share. What the classes mean.

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in New Mexico in 2024?

409 people in 378 fatal crashes, per NHTSA's FARS annual file. Over 2015–2024 the total is 4,096.

How does New Mexico compare with the national rate?

19.4 deaths per 100,000 residents a year over 2015–2024, against 11.8 nationally; in 2024 alone, 19.2 against 11.5.

Which counties in New Mexico have the most fatal crashes?

By deaths over 2015–2024: Bernalillo County (1,043), San Juan County (285) and McKinley County (278). The county table ranks by rate per 100,000 residents instead, which is a fairer comparison across sizes.

What share of fatal crashes in New Mexico involved alcohol or speeding?

26.4% of fatal crashes in 2015–2024 had a driver reported as drinking (US: 26.3%) and 35.9% had a speeding-related driver (US: 27.2%).

Which routes in New Mexico have the most fatal crashes?

Interstate 40 (374 fatal crashes, 2015–2024), Interstate 25 (314 fatal crashes, 2015–2024) and US Route 285 (97 fatal crashes, 2015–2024). Route pages exist for signed routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in the ten years.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System annual files 1975–2024; US Census Bureau Population Estimates Program. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology, sources and corrections.