The holiday season should allow people to focus on creating happy memories and feeling grateful for their family members, friends and other elements of their lives.
Unfortunately, this time of year tends to bring about a serious risk for anyone on the roads. Drunk drivers who refuse to put away their keys after drinking present an ongoing danger to everyone and create pain instead of joy.
New Mexico fatalities high over the holidays
A report issued by Value Penguin found that alcohol played a contributing role in at least 35% of all crash fatalities over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays across the United States.
In reviewing crash fatality data, Mississippi stood out as the state with the greatest number of deaths over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. There, 2.72 people out of every 100,000 residents died in crashes. New Mexico shared the third spot with Louisiana. In both states, 2.19 out of every 100,000 people died in crashes.
Looking at the fatality rates for states on the other end of the spectrum further highlights the sad state of affairs in New Mexico. In New York, the state with the fewest crash deaths over the holidays, 0.52 people for every 100,000 died in wrecks.
State to see increase in drunk driving checkpoints
According to U.S. News and World Report, authorities in New Mexico will launch increased checkpoints through the month of December. The program aims to prevent drunk driving crashes and the resulting injuries and deaths.
During the first 10 months of 2020, New Mexico recorded 74 fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.
