03/19/2026
Great news! Last week, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed into law SB73, a bill requiring student drivers to take at least three hours of training on “vulnerable road users,” such as bicyclists, pedestrians and emergency service providers. It will take effect on January 1, 2027.
In a message sent to the Senate on Monday, Governor Lujan Grisham said while SB 73 “is a good start to achieving safer roads,” more needs to be done.
Citing data that New Mexico ranks 10th in traffic fatalities in the United States, “with almost 40% of those fatalities involving a vulnerable road user,” the governor said, “it seems that existing drivers are the problem — not future drivers.”
“I encourage the Legislature to attack this problem more comprehensively next session, as it is a matter of life and death,” Lujan Grisham said. “Future legislation could include more requirements around renewing a license, raising the minimum age of those eligible to receive a license, or harsher penalties around distracted or reckless driving. There are many possibilities.
“The bottom line is more needs to be done to limit the loss of life on the road in New Mexico.”
