Tatum, NM truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Tatum: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Tatum and Lea County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Lea County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5 of 1,199 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Lea County compares with New Mexico
Lea County against New Mexico and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Lea County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Lea County | New Mexico | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 136.3 | 45.6 | 49.7 | 3.0× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 8.0 | 9.5 | 3.4 | 16% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.49 | 0.56 | 0.49 | 13% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.4% | 0.4% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.7% | 12.1% | 6.2% | 94% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.5% | 22.8% | 23.7% | 1.3× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 4.0% | 11.7% | 13.8% | 66% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.0% | 46.8% | 41.9% | 10% below the state |
| After dark | 33.3% | 30.2% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Lea County sits below New Mexico on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, morning rush (6–10 am) and after dark.
What stands out in Lea County: +413% yearly reported truck crashes went from 21 in the 2000s to 106 in the 2010s.
Overview
Since 2015, 1,199 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Lea County. They injured 607 people and killed 97.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 4 days.
Only 6 truck crashes were reported in Tatum since 2015; patterns below come from Lea County as a whole.
36% of truck crash reports in Lea County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is October with 11.2% of truck crashes; the quietest is May at 6.1%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 42.0% of truck crashes, vs 46.8% for New Mexico.
The busiest hour is 7–8 am, with 9.4% of truck crashes.
0.7% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 12.1% across New Mexico.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Tatum since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-206 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 5 crashes, 0.4% of the total, against 0.4% across New Mexico.
Route planning tips for Tatum fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Morning starts matter: 28.5% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than New Mexico.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
Crash counts come from the FMCSA crash file (police-reported crashes involving trucks over 10,000 lb); fatal-crash locations come from NHTSA FARS. Text on this page states only what these numbers show.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Lea County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-206 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Lea County) |
|---|---|
| Us 62/180 | 36 |
| SR-128 | 34 |
| W Nm Highway 128 | 21 |
| State Road 128 | 19 |
| State Road 18 | 18 |
| Nmsr 128 | 16 |
| SR-18 | 15 |
| Battle Axe Rd | 13 |
Tatum at a glance
| Population | 712 |
| Land area | 1.6 sq mi |
| Density | 449 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 88267) | $52,250 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Lea County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12 | — | 2.0 |
| 2000s | 17 | +47% | 2.4 |
| 2010s | 81 | +375% | 5.9 |
| 2020s | 95 | +16% | 6.8 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 12 to 95. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 7.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 6.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Tatum
How many truck accidents are there in Tatum?
1,199 truck crashes have been reported in Lea County since 2015, with 97 deaths and 607 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Tatum?
Truck crashes in Lea County peak in October, with 11.2% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Tatum?
Since 2015, Lea County has reported 5 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.4% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Tatum compared with New Mexico?
Lea County records 136.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 45.6 across New Mexico.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Tatum?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.