Statewide, NM - During Spring Break and St. Patrick's Day 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 Spring Break and St. Patrick's Day holiday, specifically Saturday, March 11 through Sunday, March 19, 2023.

The operation resulted in State Police officers issuing over 4,400 traffic citations (245 citations were for lack of seat belt usage) and arresting 49 drunk drivers statewide. Officers investigated a total of 150 crashes, with 4 being fatal. The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Bureau issued 134 commercial vehicle citations and conducted over 170 commercial vehicle inspections.

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.