June 12 – As New Mexico grapples with the fact that New Mexico is among the worst in the nation for vehicle fatalities and No. 1 for pedestrian deaths, the state Department of Transportation is introducing a new initiative to stem the carnage on the state’s roadways fuses.
The “transformative initiative,” called Target Zero New Mexico, aims to coordinate all of the department’s transportation safety work and sharpen its focus on safety in everything it does as part of a larger effort to save lives.
Consider the statistics:
In 2021, 481 people died in motor vehicle crashes in New Mexico, higher than the national average.
If the state were to mirror the national average of 1.37 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, there would be 114 fewer deaths on New Mexico roadways each year.
While the state ranks fourth in the number of motor vehicle fatalities relative to miles traveled, New Mexico, based on population size, had more pedestrian deaths from motor vehicle crashes than any other state in the nation also. Some of the fatalities involved people experiencing homelessness, an issue that state and local government officials have also struggled to address.
During a presentation Wednesday to members of the Legislative Finance Committee, Amy Whitfield pointed out that the fatalities are more than just statistics.
“We know that every fatality that happens in New Mexico involves an individual – it impacts a family, it impacts our community and so we must ensure that safety and human life on the come first,” said Whitfield, who recently left her position as director. Housing and Homelessness Advisor to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to coordinate the initiative.
“We really want to make sure that within the New Mexico Department of Transportation, we’re coordinating the many different things that we’re already doing and making sure that we can sharpen our focus on safety and all of our work,” she said.
On state roads, Santa Fe ranks at four of the top 10 “high-incident intersections” for pedestrian crashes and two for fatal crashes, according to 2018-22 data collected by the department.
For pedestrian accidents, the worst intersections in Santa Fe are all along Cerrillos Road. They include, in order, Camino Carlos Rey, Zafarano Drive, St. Michael’s Drive and Siler Road.
Cerrillos Road also appears at all three of Santa Fe’s worst intersections for fatal crashes. This includes, in order, Richards Avenue, Camino Carlos Rey and Zafarano.
Providing safe roads for the traveling public is among the performance challenges identified in Wednesday’s report to lawmakers.
The initiative was initiated by House Memorial 85 during the 2023 legislative session, Whitfield said.
The monument asked the department to “develop a vision zero plan for New Mexico state highways” with the goal of achieving an annual highway safety record of zero vehicle-related deaths or serious injuries by “2030.” however, the target is 2050.
“It really gives New Mexico an opportunity to join the national approaches” while building a specific strategy for the state, Whitfield said.
She added: “There are many activities” the department can undertake to reduce fatalities, from identifying policy recommendations for potential legislation to introducing education and campaigns that promote a road safety culture in the state.
“We are coordinating efforts across the department … to connect our safety planning with our maintenance and also with our projects,” she said. “Would go [conduct more] road safety audits so that we can ensure we identify the core issues, not just ensuring road safety, but also how we achieve behavioral change in pedestrians and cyclists.”
When Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, asked whether the pedestrian accidents involved homeless people, Department Secretary Ricky Serna answered the question indirectly by saying the department believes “it will be necessary to really leverage local resources around homelessness, temporary community, substance abuse.”
“It won’t always be an engineering solution for road infrastructure,” he said. “It’s going to take a partnership with communities to say, ‘This is the area. This is, based on the road safety audit, what we think needs to change. What are the social services that are going to help deliver that change?’ “
The launch of the initiative comes weeks before a special session focused on public safety in which Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is pushing for several pieces of legislation, including what lawmakers are calling a bill that would make it a crime for pedestrians to stand in the median. less than 1 meter wide on roads where the speed limit is 50 km/h or more.
Other proposals include revising state law around “assisted outpatient treatment,” or court-ordered treatment for mental illness or addiction.
“I don’t want to be blatant here,” Serna told lawmakers, “but I ask all of you to see the connections because as you know, you know the governor is working on a special session to address some of the underlying issues to take. related to mental health issues, repeat offender issues, homelessness issues and even the idea of cheating in the median.”
His comments came after Rep. Jack Chatfield, R-Mosquero, called homelessness in Albuquerque and Santa Fe “outrageous.”
“I was driving to Cerrillos one day and there was a guy stuck, the poor guy was just stuck in traffic with his cart,” he said. “There’s cars everywhere, and they’re all backing up for this guy. And it’s sad. It’s really sad. … We’re going to have to have a serious talk about whether it’s okay to be in the middle of a to live in the median, you know, to be out there, because if I hit one of those people, it will ruin my life.”
Michael Coleman, the governor’s chief spokesman, wrote in an email that moving New Mexico from the top spot in pedestrian deaths is one of the governor’s priorities.
“Amy’s work in the Governor’s Office on housing and homelessness has included coordinating across state agencies, working closely with local governments, and finding data-driven solutions,” he wrote. “This experience will serve New Mexicans well as she works with DOT to reduce the number of fatalities resulting from crashes.”
Coleman noted that as the governor’s senior housing policy advisor, Daniel Werwath is leading the administration’s “strategic approach to housing at the state level.”
“With Amy moving to DOT, the Governor’s office will hire another individual to help address our housing priorities,” he wrote.
Follow Daniel J. Chacón on Twitter @danieljchacon.
