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Fatal car crashes in Bernalillo County, New Mexico
From 2020 through 2024, 592 people died in 564 crashes on roads in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
That is 17.6 deaths a year for every 100,000 residents, below 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: 72, killing 77.
Hit-and-runs made up 20% of fatal crashes here, against 10% statewide.
In 2024, 117 people were killed, 7% more than in 2020 (109).
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2024 · population: Census 2024 estimate, 671,747 · checked October 2, 2026
people killed in crashes, 2020-2024 (564 crashes)
deaths a year per 100,000 residents (New Mexico 20.6, US 12.1)
pedestrians killed, 36% of all deaths here
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 deadliest roads in Bernalillo County
I-40 (Wb Offramp) leads with 72 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.
| # | Road | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-40 Wb Offramp | 72 | 77 |
| 2 | I-25 | 49 | 54 |
| 3 | Central Ave | 46 | 47 |
| 4 | SR-45 Coors Blvd | 44 | 46 |
| 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
Bernalillo County ranks 1st of 28 New Mexico counties by deaths and 21st by death rate (1st = highest), among counties with 10 or more fatal crashes.
When crashes turn deadly
61% of fatal crashes here happened in the dark. The single deadliest hour was 9 pm to 10 pm.
Sunday had the most fatal crashes (101), and 31% fell on a Saturday or Sunday.
By month, September was the worst (61 crashes across the five years).
What was involved
Shares of fatal crashes (or of deaths) in Bernalillo County, next to New Mexico and the US. Red marks a share at least a quarter higher than the state's.
| Factor | Bernalillo County | Share | New Mexico | US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding was a factor a driver coded by police as speeding, racing or too fast for conditions | 179 | 32% | 36% | 28% |
| A driver had been drinking police reported alcohol involvement for at least one driver | 115 | 20% | 25% | 26% |
| A large truck was involved a truck over 10,000 lbs | 55 | 10% | 18% | 13% |
| Hit-and-run a driver left the scene | 110 | 20% | 10% | 7% |
| Pedestrians killed share of all deaths | 216 | 36% | 21% | 18% |
| Motorcyclists killed share of all deaths | 89 | 15% | 12% | 15% |
| Bicyclists killed share of all deaths | 13 | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| Teens (15-19) killed share of all deaths | 45 | 8% | 7% | 7% |
After a crash in Bernalillo County
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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).
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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).
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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.
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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).
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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).
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for New Mexico. Both take under a minute.
Cities in Bernalillo County
| City | Deaths 2020-24 | Per 100K a year | Pedestrians | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque | 559 | 20.0 | 214 | 560,326 |
Nearby counties
| County | Distance | Deaths 2020-24 | Per 100K a year | Pedestrians | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valencia County, New Mexico | 25 mi | 57 | 14.1 | 11 | 80,813 |
| Sandoval County, New Mexico | 45 mi | 80 | 10.1 | 10 | 157,757 |
| Santa Fe County, New Mexico | 51 mi | 113 | 14.3 | 29 | 157,765 |
| Torrance County, New Mexico | 56 mi | 54 | 67.6 | 8 | 15,986 |
| Socorro County, New Mexico | 75 mi | 64 | 80.2 | 7 | 15,967 |
| Cibola County, New Mexico | 75 mi | 76 | 57.0 | 5 | 26,686 |
| McKinley County, New Mexico | 97 mi | 136 | 39.5 | 34 | 68,945 |
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.