NMSP NEWS RELEASE

New Mexico State Police officers issued more than 1,200 traffic citations (74 of them for lack of seat belt usage) and arrested 12 drunk drivers between Saturday, July 2 and Monday, July 4 as partt of the Combined Accident Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E.). Officers investigated 10 crashes with none being fatal. TheCommercial Vehicle Enforcement Bureau issued 74 commercial vehicle citations and conducted more than 70 commercial vehicle inspections.

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 Independence Day weekend Saturday through Monday.

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.