ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association shows New Mexico had the highest rate of pedestrian traffic fatalities compared to all other states in 2023. That is the third year in a row that New Mexico has ranked at the top.
New Mexico had an average of 4.68 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people, according to preliminary data from January through December of 2023. That’s more than double the national average.
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Preliminary data shows New Mexico outranks other states in terms of pedestrian deaths per capita.
Last year, nearly 100 pedestrians were killed in traffic incidents in New Mexico, the data shows. That’s far fewer than the number of pedestrian deaths in states like Florida or California, but given New Mexico’s smaller population, the states per-capita rate topped the list.
After the Land of Enchantment, other high-ranking states include Florida, Nevada, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Arizona in terms of pedestrian traffic fatalities per 100,000 people. Across the nation, over 7,000 people died in pedestrian traffic incidents, the preliminary data (which has been adjusted for historical underreporting of deaths) shows. Historically, about three quarters of pedestrian deaths happen at night, the report notes.
