Lawmakers get update on state traffic crashes and fatalities

Aug. 21—Lawmakers got a sobering report on state motor vehicle crashes that says 64% of fatalities tied to those incidents involve people who were not wearing a seat belt.

And New Mexico tops the list of states with the highest amount of pedestrian deaths tied to motor vehicle crashes — at a rate of 23% in 2021, based on the report.

"We have a very high pedestrian fatality rate in New Mexico," Jessica Bloom a geospatial and population researcher with the University of New Mexico, told lawmakers on the interim Transportation Infrastructure Revenue Subcommittee Monday.

UNM's Geospatial and Population Studies Department put together the report, which was based on law enforcement reports of crashes that caused deaths, injuries or at least $500 in damages.

The report provides an "almost 100% complete picture of all the crashes that occurred in New Mexico," said Robert Rhatigan director of the department.

The report did not include motor vehicle accidents that may have stemmed from natural causes — such as a heart attack — or suicide, he said.

All told, there were 40,769 traffic crashes on New Mexico's public roadways in 2021, according to data from the state Department of Transportation.

In all, 105 pedestrians were killed by motorists in 2021 in New Mexico.

While lawmakers were clearly concerned about the pedestrian deaths, several also expressed surprise that in a state where wearing a seat belt is mandatory, many deaths involved people who were not buckled.

The number of unbelted people killed in crashes in the state was 184 in 2021, and based on preliminary 2022 data, that statistic is nearly the same, at an estimated 180

Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, said during the hearing she would like to see how often law enforcement officials issue citations to motorists who are caught not wearing seatbelts.

"It is illegal to not wear your seatbelt," she said.

Rep. Jenifer Jones, R-Deming, told the committee she knew of an crash involving a grandmother who ensured her granddaughter had a seat belt on but did not buckle up herself. After a crash, the grandmother landed on top of her granddaughter, seriously injuring the girl.

"People (who do not buckle up) need to think about others in the vehicle," Jones said.

Representatives of both the New Mexico State Police and the American Automobile Association urged drivers and passengers in all vehicles to buckle their seatbelts.

"Statistics have shown proper seatbelt use significantly enhances your safety while traveling in a vehicle," officer Ray Wilson of the state police wrote in an email. "In the event of a crash, wearing your seatbelt minimizes the risk of a severe or fatal injury by keeping the wearer restrained in the seat and preventing ejection from the vehicle. Everyone in the vehicle should wear their seatbelt every ride, every time."

Daniel Armbruster, a spokesman for AAA Texas/New Mexico, wrote in an email: "Wearing a seat belt significantly diminishes the odds of injury or death in a collision. Neglecting to fasten your seat belt can lead to ejection from the vehicle during a crash, a perilous circumstance that tragically often ends in fatality."

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study said of the 26,325 people killed in vehicular crashes in the country in 2021, about 50% were not using seat belts.

Sen. Bill Tallman, D-Albuquerque, who chairs the committee, said in an interview the seatbelt statistics are "kind of alarming." Though he asked the presenters what was causing this trend, they did not have a clear answer.

Noting a report finding that said nearly 200 crash-related deaths in 2021 were caused by distracted driving, Tallman said he wonders if more people are under stress stemming from the long COVID-19 pandemic and therefore paying less attention while driving.

"Maybe that explains it but I am just speculating," he said.

Perhaps surprisingly, the report's authors said texting does not play that big of a role in crashes — about 40 a year out of a total of about 40,000 crashes, Bloom told lawmakers. But she added that in crashes not involving fatalities, drivers could be lying, simply telling officers they looked away for a second before crashing.

Some accidents involving texting may fall under the broader category of distracted driving, she said. She said police have the right to check text histories in accidents involving fatalities.

Bloom said Albuquerque has the second-highest pedestrian fatality rate, behind Memphis, compared to other cities with populations over 500,000. She did not supply the pedestrian fatality rates for either city during the hearing.