Written by Officer Ray Wilson 11/30/2021
Statewide, NM – During the Thanksgiving holiday, the New Mexico State Police participated in the Combined Accident Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E.) operation across all roadways within the state. The goal of the traffic initiative is to increase motorist safety and reduce the number of crashes through a strong law enforcement presence.
Because of the increased volume of traffic during the holiday, NMSP increased its patrol presence during this initiative on roadways throughout all State Police districts on the busiest travel days of the Thanksgiving holiday, specifically Wednesday, November 24th, through Sunday, November 28th, 2021.
The operation resulted in State Police officers issuing over 2,300 traffic citations (104 citations were for lack of seat belt usage) and arresting 34 drunk drivers statewide. Officers investigated a total of 58 crashes, with 2 being fatal. The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Bureau issued 159 commercial vehicle citations and conducted over 300 commercial vehicle inspections.
The safety of motorists is a top priority of the New Mexico State Police and officers will continue holiday travel operations throughout the year. We encourage the public to drive safely and obey all laws while traveling the motorways of New Mexico.