What Is It?

The 300 Lives Initiative is a straightforward set of traffic safety goals and efforts to prevent 300 crash deaths in New Mexico by 2005. 

The goals are simply New Mexico's proportionate contribution toward national traffic safety goals, set collaboratively by national safety leaders including:

• The U.S. Department of Transportation,
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving
• The National Safety Council
• The National Commission Against Drunk Driving,
• The National Association of Governors' Highway Safety Representatives, and
• Many other organizations that are Partners in Progress for U.S.  traffic safety

What Will It Achieve?

The 300 Lives Initiative aims to save 300 lives between now and 2005 in New Mexico through reducing the number and severity of motor vehicle crashes.

The Initiative will promote New Mexico's use of the best traffic safety measures in the world.  By relying on research to choose measures that have proven their effectiveness, it will reduce bottom-line deaths and injuries in crashes.

The 300 Lives Initiative will promote those measures by encouraging state, community, and private sector leaders to invest existing and new traffic safety resources toward focused programs that will strong results.

What Will It
Take?

The 300 Lives Initiative will save 300 lives by straightforward, strong steps:

• Stop serving liquor to those who are already intoxicated  Dramatically increased enforcement of New Mexico's law against serving alcohol to persons who are already intoxicated  (estimated to save 58 lives by 2005)
• Increase safety belt use  Increase safety belt use gradually to 95 percent usage by 2005, from 87 percent in 2000  (save 14 lives by 2005)
• Stronger DWI enforcement   Restore enforcement levels of DWI laws to former vigorous, highly visible levels  (save 112 lives)
• More traffic enforcement on rural highways   Dramatically increased enforcement of all traffic laws in rural roads where most traffic fatalities occur, by adding 100 new State Police officer positions for traffic enforcement by 2005  (save 43 lives)
• Promote the Highway Department's Success   The NM Highway Department provides figures in its current Highway Safety Performance Plan 2001-2005 that indicate it believes its efforts will save 73 lives between now and 2005, compared to projections from population growth.
• Treat Victims Better  Improve emergency medical services for crash victims, improve information about non-fatal injuries and disabilities from crashes, and respect victims' needs and rights in courts and government.