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Fatal car crashes in Albuquerque, New Mexico

From 2020 through 2024, 559 people died in 534 crashes on streets and highways inside Albuquerque, New Mexico.

That is 20.0 deaths a year for every 100,000 residents, about the same as the New Mexico rate of 20.6 and above the US rate of 12.1.

I-40 (Wb Offramp) had more fatal crashes than any other road here: 61, killing 64.

Hit-and-runs made up 20% of fatal crashes here, against 10% statewide.

In 2024, 111 people were killed, 6% more than in 2020 (105).

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2024 · population: Census 2024 estimate, 560,326 · checked October 2, 2026

559

people killed in crashes, 2020-2024 (534 crashes)

20.0

deaths a year per 100,000 residents (New Mexico 20.6, US 12.1)

214

pedestrians killed, 38% of all deaths here

19%

of fatal crashes involved a driver police reported as drinking

Where the fatal crashes happened

Each dot is one crash that killed at least one person, placed at the coordinates in the police report. The outline is Bernalillo County; the dots are crashes inside Albuquerque city limits.

one fatal crash, 2020-2024 a large truck was involved (49)

The deadliest roads in Albuquerque

I-40 (Wb Offramp) leads with 61 fatal crashes in five years. Roads are counted by the name in the crash report; a highway's frontage roads and ramps count toward it.

#RoadFatal crashesDeaths
1 I-40 Wb Offramp 61 64
2 I-25 47 52
3 Central Ave 46 47
4 SR-45 Coors Blvd 43 45
5 SR-556 Tramway Blvd 15 15
6 SR-500 Dennis Chavez Blvd 14 15
7 SR-423 Paseo Del Norte 13 13
8 Louisiana Blvd 11 13
9 Montgomery Blvd 10 10
10 SR-345 8 9

Deaths by year

When crashes turn deadly

63% of fatal crashes here happened in the dark. The single deadliest hour was 9 pm to 10 pm.

Friday had the most fatal crashes (97), and 32% fell on a Saturday or Sunday.

By month, September was the worst (58 crashes across the five years).

What was involved

Shares of fatal crashes (or of deaths) in Albuquerque, next to New Mexico and the US. Red marks a share at least a quarter higher than the state's.

FactorAlbuquerqueShareNew MexicoUS
Speeding was a factor
a driver coded by police as speeding, racing or too fast for conditions
168 31% 36% 28%
A driver had been drinking
police reported alcohol involvement for at least one driver
104 19% 25% 26%
A large truck was involved
a truck over 10,000 lbs
49 9% 18% 13%
Hit-and-run
a driver left the scene
109 20% 10% 7%
Pedestrians killed
share of all deaths
214 38% 21% 18%
Motorcyclists killed
share of all deaths
86 15% 12% 15%
Bicyclists killed
share of all deaths
13 2% 2% 3%
Teens (15-19) killed
share of all deaths
42 8% 7% 7%

After a crash in Albuquerque

Crash reports here: how to get one from the Albuquerque Police Department.

  1. Get the crash report

    City and county agencies sell their own reports; the Albuquerque Police Department contracts with Carfax for Police to distribute reports online at $7.50 per report, or in person at 400 Roma NW, and also lists CrashDocs.org (report number, last name of a party, and accident date required).

    How to get a New Mexico crash report

  2. Know your deadline

    New Mexico gives you three years to file a personal injury lawsuit (N.M. Stat. Ann. § 37-1-8). If a city, county or state vehicle was involved: A person claiming damages from the state or a local public body under the Tort Claims Act must give written notice of the time, place and circumstances within 90 days after the occurrence (unless the entity had actual notice).

    Work out your date

  3. Who pays

    New Mexico is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.

    New Mexico car accident laws

  4. If you were partly at fault

    You can recover even if you were mostly at fault; your award is reduced by your percentage of fault and you are not barred at any percentage (rule set by the state supreme court, not a statute).

    The rule and its statute

  5. The other driver’s minimum coverage

    The legal minimum liability coverage in New Mexico is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $10,000 for property (25/50/10).

    Every state’s minimums

Check your deadline and a rough claim range

A filing date and a rough value range for New Mexico. Both take under a minute.

Check my deadline Estimate my claim

County around Albuquerque

CountyDeaths 2020-24Per 100K a yearPedestriansPopulation
Bernalillo County 592 17.6 216 671,747

About these numbers

FARS counts every crash on a public road in which someone died within 30 days. It leaves out the far larger number of crashes that only injured people. Places are as coded in the report: a crash on a county road just outside city limits counts for the county, not the city. Rates use the Census 2024 population estimate and the five-year average.

All sources and methods