Crashes in ABQ outpace state

Drivers are crashing more in Albuquerque than elsewhere in New Mexico, but there are generally fewer accidents each year, according to a report released earlier this month.

Busy roads, deadly roads

Julian Padilla, a transportation and land-use planner with the Mid-Region Metropolitan Transportation Organization, said Albuquerque’s most dangerous areas are characterized by high traffic counts, high speeds and high numbers of conflict points — places where road users’ paths meet.

Among the worst is Central Avenue between San Mateo and Eubank Boulevards. That stretch of Central is designed to serve two purposes: moving a lot of vehicles and supporting a lot of pedestrian activity, Padilla said

“Those don’t really mix well,” he  said.

Further west on Central, he said, the presence of Albuquerque Rapid Transit bus lanes acts as a deterrent to speeding and causes drivers to be more cautious and attentive.

According to a report from KRQE, the city has installed a special traffic signal on the most dangerous stretch of Central, which is designed to create safer pedestrian crossings while not hindering vehicular traffic.

Padilla said six-lane arterial roads such as San Mateo Boulevard, Montgomery Boulevard and Menaul Boulevard, are dangerous for pedestrians, due to their width and vehicle speeds.

He said those areas frequently include numerous conflict points such as left-hand turns and driveways into businesses and residential lots.

Padilla said roundabouts can be effective on local streets, depending on the amount of traffic they see, but aren’t as viable on streets with more than one or two lanes per direction.

Don’t hit the animals

The study also says New Mexico drivers struck 1,763 animals in 2022. Most commonly hit were deer, elk and cattle. Those three classes scouted for 84.2% of animal crashes.

Daniel Armbruster, a spokesperson for AAA Texas/New Mexico, said motorists should pay attention to deer-crossing signs, use high beams when there’s no oncoming traffic, resist the urge to swerve and take other precautions to avoid hitting animals.

“If the crash is imminent,” take your foot off the brake he said in an email. “During hard braking, the front end of your vehicle is pulled downward, which can cause the animal to travel up over the hood towards your windshield. Letting off the brake can protect drivers from windshield strikes because the animal is more likely to be pushed to one side of the vehicle or over the top of the vehicle.”

Burque Stats

The city — which has 26.7% of the state’s population — was the scene of 30.8% of 40,884 traffic crashes, according to University of New Mexico data prepared for the state Department of Transportation.

There were 87 fatal crashes (with 93 people killed) in Albuquerque in 2022, the most recent year of available data. Las Cruces was far behind with 13. No other New Mexico city had more than seven fatal crashes each year. 

There were 4,118 crashes in Albuquerque that resulted in injuries. There were 1,378 fewer crashes in 2022 than the previous year and with the exception of 2021, crash totals have generally fallen in the city. 

Four-way crossings deadliest 

A new study by personal injury law firm Injured In Florida says four-way intersections are the leading type of crossroad for fatal motor vehicle crashes in New Mexico.

Researchers gathered and analyzed crash data across various intersection types in New Mexico. The data was taken from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and covered fatal crashes that occurred at New Mexico intersections between 2017 and 2021.

According to the study, 237 of the 425 fatal crashes examined occurred at four-way intersections, while 168 happened at T-intersections and nine at Y-intersections.