New Mexico State Police say Fourth of July traffic tickets dropped from 2021
New Mexico State Police issued 600 less traffic citations across New Mexico during this year's Independence Day weekend than in 2021.
State Police officers conducted the Combined Accident Reduction Effort (CARE) July 2 through July 4. During that period officers issued 1,200 traffic tickets, read a news release.
In 2021, the operation resulted in the issuance of 1,800 traffic citations.
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This year, State Police conducted over 70 semitrailer inspections and wrote 74 tickets as a result, per a State Police news release.
"Officers were present on our roadways and as a result motorists were more cautious which resulted in less citations, less DWI arrests and less crashes," said State Police Spokesperson Officer Ray Wilson.
AAA estimated nearly 50 million people traveled 50 miles or more from home during the Fourth of July weekend, including 42 million driving by car.
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In 2021, 85 tickets were written for lack of seat belt usage in 2021. Thirty-three traffic crashes occurred in 2021, including a death in Lea County, State Police cited. Last year, State Police inspected 200 tractor-trailer rigs and wrote 75 tickets for violators.
State Police wrote 132 total traffic citations, no traffic deaths were reported in Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties and no tickets were written for DWI during Fourth of July 2022, Wilson said.
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During Independence Day weekend in 2021, State Police ticketed 216 traffic violators in Southeast New Mexico.
"Numbers were down this Fourth of July, all across the board, not only were citations down, but crash investigations, and DWI arrests. Most importantly there were no fatal crashes investigated by New Mexico State Police this Fourth of July weekend," Wilson said.
Across the United States, 1,390 people died during impaired driving crashes from 2016 to 2020 during the Fourth of July, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
"The goal of the operation is a reduction in crashes through a strong law enforcement presence, and we attribute the lower numbers to just that," said Wilson.
Forty-one percent of the drivers killed during that time frame were drunk, per NHTSA data.
“The safety of motorists is a top priority of the New Mexico State Police and officers will continue holiday travel operations throughout the year,” Wilson said. “We encourage the public to drive safely and obey all laws while traveling the motorways of New Mexico.”
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: State Police Operation CARE nets less violators in 2022
