Chapter 66 — Chapter 66

The driver of a vehicle intending to turn at an intersection shall do so as follows: A. both the approach for a right turn and a right turn shall be made as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway; B. at any intersection where traffic is permitted to mo…

No vehicle shall be turned so as to proceed in the opposite direction upon any curve, or upon the approach to, or near the crest of a grade, where such vehicle cannot be seen by the driver of any other vehicle approaching from either direction within one thousand feet. History: 1…

No person shall start a vehicle which is stopped, standing or parked unless and until such movement can be made with reasonable safety. History: 1941 Comp., § 68-2423, enacted by Laws 1953, ch. 139, § 78; 1953 Comp., § 64-18-23; recompiled as 1953 Comp., § 64-7-324, by Laws 1978,…

A. No person shall turn a vehicle at an intersection unless the vehicle is in proper position upon the roadway as required in Section 66-7-322 NMSA 1978, or turn a vehicle to enter a private road or driveway or otherwise turn a vehicle from a direct course or move right or left u…

A. Any stop or turn signal when required herein shall be given either by means of the hand and arm or by a signal lamp or lamps or mechanical signal device except as otherwise provided in Subsection B. B. Any motor vehicle in use on a highway shall be equipped with, and required …

All signals herein required given by hand and arm shall be given from the left side of the vehicle in the following manner and such signal shall indicate as follows: A. left turn: hand and arm extended horizontally; B. right turn: hand and arm extended upward; and C. stop or decr…

A. The driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle which has entered the intersection from a different highway. B. When two vehicles enter an intersection from different highways at approximately the same time the driver of the vehicl…

The driver of a vehicle within an intersection intending to turn to the left shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is within the intersection or so close thereto as to constitute an immediate hazard, but said driver, having so y…

A. Preferential right-of-way at an intersection may be indicated by stop signs or yield signs as authorized in the Motor Vehicle Code [66-1-1 NMSA 1978]. B. Except when directed to proceed by a police officer or traffic-control signal, every driver of a vehicle approaching a stop…

The driver of a vehicle about to enter of [or] cross a highway from a private road or driveway shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching on said highway. History: 1953 Comp., § 64-7-331, enacted by Laws 1978, ch. 35, § 435.

emergency vehicles; operation of vehicles on approach of certain stationary vehicles. A. Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle displaying flashing emergency lights or when the driver is giving audible signal by siren, the driver of every other vehicle sha…

A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, on all roadways, upon the immediate approach of an oncoming vehicle overtaking or attempting to overtake a vehicle proceeding in the same direction, the driver of that vehicle shall yield the right of way and shall drive to a positio…

A. Pedestrians shall be subject to traffic-control signals at intersections as provided in Section 66-7-105 NMSA 1978 unless required by local ordinance to comply strictly with such signals, but at all other places pedestrians shall be accorded the privileges and shall be subject…

A. When traffic-control signals are not in place or not in operation, the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is in the crosswalk. B. A pedes…

A. A pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right of way to all vehicles upon the roadway. B. Any pedestrian crossing a roadway at a point where a pedestrian tunnel or over…

A. Crosswalks may be established over highways abutting a school or the grounds adjacent to a school, and all children crossing the highways shall be required to do so within the marked crosswalks. The state transportation commission, with respect to state highways, and local aut…

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of Sections 66-7-333 through 66-7-340 NMSA 1978 every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian upon any roadway and shall give warning by sounding the horn when necessary and shall exercise proper …

A. Pedestrians shall move, whenever practicable, upon the right half of crosswalks. B. A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a penalty assessment misdemeanor. History: 1941 Comp., § 68-2437, enacted by Laws 1953, ch. 139, § 91; 1953 Comp., § 64-18-37; …

A. Where sidewalks are provided, it is unlawful for a pedestrian to walk along and upon an adjacent roadway. B. Where sidewalks are not provided, a pedestrian walking along and upon a highway shall, when practicable, walk only on the left side of the roadway or its shoulder facin…

A. No person shall stand in a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride, employment or business from the occupant of any vehicle. B. No person shall stand on or in proximity to a street or highway for the purpose of soliciting the watching or guardng [guarding] of any vehicle …

A. A person driving a vehicle approaching a railroad-highway grade crossing shall: (1) obey traffic control devices, crossing gates or barriers or the directions of an enforcement official at the crossing; (2) stop not more than fifty feet and not less than fifteen feet from the …

The state transportation commission and local authorities with the approval of the state transportation commission are hereby authorized to designate particularly dangerous highway grade crossings of railroads and to erect stop signs at those crossings. When such stop signs are e…

vehicles required to always stop; exceptions. A. Except as set forth in Subsection D of this section, a driver of a vehicle carrying passengers for hire, a school bus carrying school children or a vehicle carrying hazardous materials, radioactive or explosive substances or flamma…

A. No person shall operate or move any crawler-type tractor, steam shovel, derrick, roller or any equipment or structure having a normal operating speed of ten or less miles per hour or a vertical body or load clearance of less than one-half inch per foot of the distance between …

yield intersections. A. The state transportation commission, with reference to state and county highways, and local authorities, with reference to other highways under their jurisdiction, may designate through highways and erect stop signs or yield signs at specified entrances th…

The driver of a vehicle within a business or residence district emerging from an alley, driveway or building shall stop such vehicle immediately prior to driving onto a sidewalk or the sidewalk area extending across any alleyway or driveway, and shall yield the right-of-way to an…

A. The driver of a vehicle upon approaching or overtaking from either direction any school bus which has stopped on the roadway, with special school bus signals in operation, for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school children, shall stop the vehicle at least ten feet…

A. The director is authorized to adopt standards and specifications applicable to lighting equipment on and special warning devices to be carried by school buses consistent with the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Code [66-1-1 NMSA 1978] and supplemental thereto, except that the …

residence districts. A. Upon any highway outside of a business or residence district, no person shall stop, park or leave standing a vehicle, whether attended or unattended, upon the paved or main-traveled part of the highway when it is practicable to stop, park or leave the vehi…

A. Whenever any police officer finds a vehicle standing upon a highway in violation of any of the foregoing provisions of Sections 66-7-349 through 66-7-352 NMSA 1978, such officer is hereby authorized to move such vehicle, or require the driver or other person in charge of the v…

places. A. No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or traffic-control device, in any of the following places: (1) on a sidewalk; (2) in front of a pub…

A. Except as otherwise provided in this section, every vehicle stopped or parked upon a roadway where there are adjacent curbs shall be so stopped or parked with the right-hand wheels of such vehicle parallel to and within eighteen inches of the right- hand curb. B. Local authori…

Sections 66-7-352.1 through 66-7-352.6 NMSA 1978 may be cited as the "Accessible Parking Standards and Enforcement Act". History: Laws 1983, ch. 45, § 1; 1990, ch. 120, § 36; 2001, ch. 124, § 2; 2007, ch. 319, § 58.

The policy and intent of this legislature is declared to be as follows: A. that this legislature finds there is a significant safety hazard for persons with significant mobility limitation crossing through parking lots and that this hazard is greatly reduced when parking is provi…

ANNOTATIONS Repeals. — Laws 1990, ch. 120, § 45 repealed 66-7-352.3 NMSA 1978, as enacted by Laws 1983, ch. 45, § 3, relating to definitions, effective July 1, 1990. For provisions of former section, see the 1989 NMSA 1978 on NMOneSource.com. For present comparable provisions, se…

A. Every parking lot coming under the provisions of the Accessible Parking Standards and Enforcement Act shall have designated and maintained accessible parking spaces for persons with significant mobility limitation as provided in Subsection B of this section. No building permit…

A. It is unlawful for any person to park a motor vehicle not displaying a special registration plate or a parking placard issued pursuant to Section 66-3-16 NMSA 1978 in a designated accessible parking space for persons with significant mobility limitation. B. It is unlawful for …

A. State, county and municipal law enforcement personnel may issue citations for violations of Section 66-7-352.5 NMSA 1978 in their respective jurisdictions, whether the violation occurs on public property or private property. B. Parking enforcement personnel of each of the stat…

No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key and effectively setting the brake, or placing the transmission in parking position, thereon and, when standing upon any …

The driver of a vehicle shall not back it: A. unless the movement can be made with reasonable safety and without interfering with other traffic; or B. upon any shoulder or roadway of any controlled-access highway, or upon the exit or entry road of any controlled-access highway. H…

A. A person operating a motorcycle, other than an autocycle, shall ride only upon the permanent and regular seat attached thereto, shall have the person's feet upon the footrests provided on the machine and shall not carry any other person nor shall any other person ride on the m…

A. No person under the age of eighteen shall operate a motorcycle unless the person is wearing a safety helmet that is securely fastened on the person's head in a normal manner as headgear and that meets the standards specified by the secretary. The secretary shall adopt rules an…

A. No person shall drive a vehicle when it is so loaded or when there are in the front seat such number of persons, exceeding three, as to obstruct the view of the driver to the front or sides of the vehicle or as to interfere with the driver's control over the driving mechanism …

A. It is unlawful to operate in this state any motor vehicle equipped with a video screen upon which images may be projected or shown if the screen is within the normal view of the driver of the motor vehicle unless the video screen is used solely as an aid to the driver in the o…

A. The driver of a motor vehicle traveling through defiles or canyons or on mountain highways shall hold the motor vehicle under control and as near the right-hand edge of the highway as reasonably possible. B. A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a p…

A. The driver of any motor vehicle, when traveling upon a downgrade, shall not coast with the clutch disengaged. B. A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a penalty assessment misdemeanor. History: 1941 Comp., § 68-2466, enacted by Laws 1953, ch. 139, §…

prohibited. A. The driver of any vehicle other than one on official business shall not follow any fire apparatus traveling in response to a fire alarm closer than five hundred feet, or drive into or park such vehicle within the block where fire apparatus has stopped in answer to …

No vehicle shall be driven over any unprotected hose of a fire department when laid down on any street or private driveway, to be used at any fire or alarm of fire, without the consent of the fire department official in command. History: 1941 Comp., § 68-2468, enacted by Laws 195…

A. It is unlawful for any person, during the hours of darkness, to ride a horse or other animal upon the traveled portion of any highway that is normally used by motor vehicles. B. It is unlawful for any person negligently to permit livestock to wander or graze upon any fenced hi…

or lessees of highway frontage; provisions. A. Notwithstanding the responsibility of the department of transportation under the provisions of Section 66-7-363 NMSA 1978 to construct, inspect regularly and maintain fences along all highways under its jurisdiction, the department o…