State launches non-traditional communication registry for vehicles

Jul. 23—Liz Thomson's adult son has autism, is half African American and is 6'7". His safety if pulled over at a traffic stop is always on her mind.

Being part of the autism community, Thomson said, she's heard many stories about situations that escalate to physical violence because officers are unaware that a driver or passenger doesn't communicate in a traditional manner.

That's why the Albuquerque representative sponsored a bill last year to create a registry for people who communicate untraditionally. Law enforcement has to check the registry before they talk to someone they've pulled over.

The legislation went into effect this month.

"I wanted to protect the folks like my son, people who are deaf, people who may have brain injury, the whole gamut of things," Thomson said.

Anyone with autism spectrum disorder, deafness, brain injury, intellectual disability, behavioral health disorder, dementia or seizure disorder can now request the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division add their vehicle to the nontraditional communication registry.

A licensed health practitioner must also sign the form.

House Bill 40 from the 2023 legislative session requires law enforcement check the registry before approaching the driver of a vehicle.

Thomson said protecting law enforcement in addition to the people who communicate non-traditionally is part of the goal.

"I can't imagine what it would feel like to know that you pulled your weapon and killed someone that didn't understand what you were saying," she said. "They weren't defying you; they just didn't understand, didn't hear."

Thomson said she's been working to pass the bill for around a decade. It was originally set to go into effect in January 2024, but lawmakers pushed the date back so the Taxation and Revenue Department would have more time to set up the database.

"I'm hoping to make things better for both the disability community and the law enforcement community," Thomson said.

The paperwork to sign up to be part of the registry can be found online at www.mvd.newmexico.gov/forms/ under the vehicle forms tab. The title of the file is Nontraditional Communication Registry Enrollment, also known as MVD form 10126.

Forms should be returned in person at an MVD field office.

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