Chapter 66 — Chapter 66

Whenever traffic is controlled by traffic-control signals exhibiting different colored lights, or colored lighted arrows, succesively [successively], one at a time or in combination, only the colors green, yellow and red shall be used, except for special pedestrian control signal…

A. Whenever special pedestrian control signals exhibiting the words "walk" or "don't walk" are in place: (1) "walk" indicates that pedestrians facing the signal may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal and shall be given the right of way by drivers of all veh…

A. Whenever an illuminated flashing red or yellow signal is used in a traffic sign or signal, it shall require obedience by vehicular traffic as follows: (1) flashing red (stop signal): when a red lens is illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes, drivers of vehicles shall stop…

A. A person shall not place, maintain or display upon or in view of any highway any unauthorized sign, signal, marking or device that purports to be or is an imitation of or resembles an official traffic-control device or railroad sign or signal or that attempts to direct the mov…

signs or signals. No person shall without lawful authority attempt to or in fact alter, deface, injure, knock down or remove any official traffic-control device or any railroad sign or signal or any inscription, shield or insignia thereon, or any part thereof. History: 1941 Comp.…

in emergencies. Notwithstanding any rule or agreement of the department of transportation, the New Mexico state police, in cases of emergency where the condition of a state, United States or interstate highway presents a substantial danger to vehicular travel by reason of storm, …

testing. A. Prior to testing an autonomous motor vehicle or an autonomous commercial motor vehicle on a public highway in New Mexico, a person owning or operating such a motor vehicle shall notify the department of transportation at least five calendar days in advance of such ope…

A. Autonomous motor vehicles and autonomous commercial motor vehicles shall meet all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards. Additionally, autonomous motor vehicles and autonomous commercial motor vehicles shall be capable of being operated in compliance with applicabl…

A. The provisions of Chapter 66, Article 7 NMSA 1978 relating to the operation of vehicles refer exclusively to the operation of vehicles upon highways, except where a different place is specifically referred to in a given section. B. The provisions of Sections 66-7-201 through 6…

A. The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident or as close thereto as possible, but shall then immediately return to and in every event shall remain at the scene of…

The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting only in damage to a vehicle which is driven or attended by any person shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of such accident or as close thereto as possible but shall forthwith return to and in every event sha…

The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or damage to any vehicle which is driven or attended by any person shall give his name, address and the registration number of the vehicle he is driving and shall upon request exhibit …

The driver of any vehicle which collides with any vehicle which is unattended shall immediately stop and shall then and there either locate and notify the operator or owner of such vehicle of the name and address of the driver and owner of the vehicle striking the unattended vehi…

highway. The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting only in damage to fixtures or other property legally upon or adjacent to a highway shall take reasonable steps to locate and notify the owner or person in charge of such property of such fact and of his name and…

The driver of a vehicle, the autonomous motor vehicle operator or the autonomous commercial motor vehicle operator, if applicable, involved in an accident resulting in bodily injury to or death of any person or property damage to an apparent extent of five hundred dollars ($500) …

A. The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in bodily injury to or death of any person or total property damage to an apparent extent of five hundred dollars ($500) or more shall, within five days after the accident, forward a written report of the accident to th…

investigation by a law enforcement officer certified as an accident reconstructionist. All motor vehicle accidents involving a school bus that result in a fatality or life threatening injury shall be investigated by a law enforcement officer certified as an accident reconstructio…

A. Whenever the driver of a vehicle is physically incapable of giving an immediate notice of an accident as required in Section 66-7-206 NMSA 1978 and there was another occupant in the vehicle at the time of the accident capable of doing so, such occupant shall give or cause to b…

A. The state highway and transportation department shall prepare and, upon request, supply to police departments, district medical investigators, sheriffs, garages and other suitable agencies or individuals forms for accident reports required under Section 66-7-207 NMSA 1978 appr…

ANNOTATIONS Repeals. — Laws 1989, ch. 318, § 37 repealed 66-7-210 NMSA 1978, as enacted by Laws 1978, ch. 35, § 399, relating to penalty for failure to report and false reports, effective July 1, 1989.

Every district medical investigator or other official performing like functions shall, on or before the tenth day of each month, report in writing to the state highway and transportation department the death of any person within his jurisdiction during the preceding calendar mont…

The person in charge of any garage or repair shop and dealers or wreckers of vehicles to whom is brought any motor vehicle which shows evidence of having been involved in an accident of which report must be made as provided in Section 66-7-207 NMSA 1978 or struck by any bullet sh…

A. All accident reports made by persons involved in accidents or by persons in charge of garages shall be without prejudice to the individual so reporting and shall be for the confidential use of the state highway and transportation department or other state agencies having use f…

The state highway and transportation department shall tabulate and may analyze all accident reports and shall publish annually or at more frequent intervals statistical information based thereon as to the number and circumstances of traffic accidents. History: 1941 Comp., § 68-23…

Any incorporated city, town, village or other municipality may by ordinance require that the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident shall also file with a designated city department a report of such accident or a copy of any report herein required to be filed with the divisi…

It is unlawful and, unless otherwise declared in the Motor Vehicle Code [66-1-1 NMSA 1978] with respect to particular offenses, it is a misdemeanor for any person to do any act forbidden or fail to perform any act required in Article 7 of Chapter 66 NMSA 1978. History: 1953 Comp.…

A. No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than: (1) fifteen miles per hour on all highways when passing a school while children are going to or leaving school and when the school zone is properly posted; (2) thirty miles per hour in a business or residenc…

ANNOTATIONS Repeals. — Laws 1989, ch. 318, § 37 and Laws 1989, ch. 319, § 15 repealed 66-7-302 NMSA 1978, as amended by Laws 1987, ch. 73, § 1, relating to maximum speed limit, effective July 1, 1989. Compiler's notes. — Laws 1989, ch. 320, § 2 purported to amend this section, as…

A. The division shall not use a violation of Section 66-7-301 NMSA 1978, where the posted speed limit is designated as fifty-five or sixty-five miles an hour, for the purpose of suspending or revoking a driver's license unless the driver was exceeding the speed of seventy-five mi…

development or application of a point system. A. Except as provided in Subsection B of this section, in developing and applying a point system that is used as a basis for suspension or revocation of driving privileges, the division shall not assign points for convictions for spee…

A. Whenever the secretary of highway and transportation determines upon the basis of an engineering survey and traffic investigation, a detailed report of which is filed with the traffic safety bureau of the state highway and transportation department, that any speed established …

A. When construction, repair or reconstruction of any street or highway is being done, the state highway department or the local authority with jurisdiction over that street or highway is authorized to designate as a construction zone that portion of the street or highway where c…

A. The board of county commissioners of a county may alter and establish speed limits lower than those established by law on county roads within its county, provided that: (1) the speed limit is deemed to be reasonable and safe under local conditions on the basis of an engineerin…

A. A person shall not drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or to be in compliance with law. B. Whenever the state transportation commission or local authorit…

A. Subject to the requirements of Section 66-3-847 NMSA 1978, no person shall drive any vehicle equipped with solid rubber or cushion tires at a speed greater than ten miles per hour. B. A person shall not drive a vehicle over any bridge or other elevated structure constituting a…

A. In every charge of violation of any speed regulation under the Motor Vehicle Code [66-1-1 NMSA 1978], the complaint and the uniform traffic citation shall specify the speed at which the defendant is alleged to have driven and the maximum speed applicable within the district or…

A. Upon all roadways of sufficient width a vehicle shall be driven upon the right half of the roadway, and where practicable, entirely to the right of the center thereof, except as follows: (1) when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction under the…

[directions]. Drivers of vehicles proceeding in opposite directions shall pass each other to the right, and upon roadways having width for not more than one line of traffic in each direction each driver shall give to the other at least one-half of the main-traveled portion of the…

The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles proceeding in the same direction, subject to those limitations, exceptions and special rules hereinafter stated: A. the driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall pa…

A. The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass upon the right of another vehicle only under the following conditions: (1) when the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn; (2) upon a street or highway with unobstructed pavement not occupied by parked vehicles o…

No vehicle shall be driven to the left side of the center of the roadway in overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction unless such left side is clearly visible and free of oncoming traffic for a sufficient distance ahead to permit such overtaking and …

A. No vehicle shall at any time be driven to the left side of the roadway under the following conditions: (1) when approaching the crest of a grade or upon a curve in the highway where the driver's view is obstructed within such distance as to create a hazard in the event another…

When, in the judgment of the New Mexico state police division of the department of public safety or local authorities with respect to highways under their jurisdiction, the movement of any vehicle is deemed a hazard to traffic upon a highway over which the vehicle is to travel, t…

A. The state transportation commission and local authorities may determine those portions of any highway under their respective jurisdictions where overtaking and passing or driving on the left of the roadway would be especially hazardous and may, by appropriate signs or markings…

A. The state transportation commission may designate any highway or any separate roadway under its jurisdiction for one-way traffic and shall erect appropriate signs giving notice of that designation. B. Upon a roadway designated and signposted for one-way traffic, a vehicle shal…

Whenever any roadway has been divided into two or more clearly marked lanes for traffic the following rules in addition to all others consistent herewith shall apply: A. a vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane and shall not be moved from s…

A. The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of the vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway. B. The driver of any motor truck or motor vehicle drawing another …

Whenever any highway has been divided into two roadways by leaving an intervening space or by a physical barrier or clearly indicated dividing section so constructed as to impede vehicular traffic, every vehicle shall be driven only upon the right-hand roadway and no vehicle shal…

No person shall drive a vehicle onto or from any controlled-access roadway except at such entrances and exits as are established by public authority. History: 1941 Comp., § 68-2419, enacted by Laws 1953, ch. 139, § 74; 1953 Comp., § 64-18-19; recompiled as 1953 Comp., § 64-7-320,…

A. The state transportation commission, by resolution or order entered in its minutes, and local authorities, by ordinance, may regulate or prohibit the use of any controlled-access roadway within their respective jurisdictions by any class or kind of traffic that is found to be …