Santa Fe, NM (KKOB) — During the Christmas 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 Christmas holiday, specifically Friday, December 22nd, through Tuesday, December 26th, 2023.
The operation resulted in State Police officers issuing over 2,100 traffic citations (69 citations were for lack of seat belt usage) and arresting 34 impaired drivers statewide. Officers investigated a total of 61 crashes, with 2 being fatal. The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Bureau issued 89 commercial vehicle citations and conducted over 347 commercial vehicle inspections.
An additional operation focusing along Interstate 40 on December 22nd resulted in 156 traffic citations and 2 crashes investigated.
The safety of motorists is a top priority of the New Mexico State Police and officers will continue holiday travel operations throughout 2024. We encourage the public to drive safely and obey all laws while traveling the motorways of New Mexico.
