Mescalero, NM truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Mescalero: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Mescalero and Otero County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Otero County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 145 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Otero County compares with New Mexico
Otero County against New Mexico and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Otero County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Otero County | New Mexico | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 18.0 | 45.6 | 49.7 | 61% below 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 | 2.2% | 0.4% | 2.3% | 4.8× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.7% | 12.1% | 6.2% | 94% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.7% | 22.8% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 6.5% | 11.7% | 13.8% | 44% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.4% | 46.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 26.8% | 30.2% | 24.8% | 11% below the state |
Compared with New Mexico, Otero County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share.
Otero County at a glance: 1 in 46 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 2.2%, vs 0.4% in New Mexico.
Overview
Since 2015, 145 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Otero County. They injured 73 people and killed 11.
That averages about one truck crash every 29 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Mescalero since 2015; patterns below come from Otero County as a whole.
29% of truck crash reports in Otero County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is July with 14.5% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 4.1%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 46.4% of truck crashes, against 46.8% across New Mexico.
By time of day, 1–2 pm stands out with 11.0% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 0.7% of truck crashes, compared with 12.1% in New Mexico.
Where crashes happen
NHTSA lists no located fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Mescalero since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 3 crashes, 2.1% of the total, against 0.4% across New Mexico.
Route planning tips for Mescalero fleets
- Review driver schedules for July, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Otero County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
No fatal crashes involving a large truck with a road name were recorded within 10 miles since 2015.
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Otero County) |
|---|---|
| US-54 | 15 |
| US-70 | 14 |
| US-82 | 5 |
| Us Hwy 54 Mile Post 86 | 4 |
| Hwy 54/70 | 3 |
| Sr 54 East | 3 |
| Us Highway 54 South | 3 |
| Alamo Relief Route | 2 |
Mescalero at a glance
| Land area | 17.9 sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Otero 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 | 11 | — | 2.2 |
| 2000s | 8 | -27% | 1.1 |
| 2010s | 14 | +65% | 1.1 |
| 2020s | 10 | -23% | 1.2 |
In the 1990s about 11 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 10. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 1.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Mescalero
How many truck accidents are there in Mescalero?
Otero County has had 145 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 73 people and killing 11.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Mescalero?
The worst month is July: 14.5% of truck crashes in Otero County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Mescalero?
3 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Otero County since 2015, 2.1% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Mescalero compared with New Mexico?
The yearly rate is 18.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Otero County, vs 45.6 for New Mexico.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Mescalero?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.