Velarde, NM truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Velarde: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Velarde and Rio Arriba County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Rio Arriba County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 75 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Rio Arriba County compares with New Mexico
Rio Arriba County against New Mexico and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Rio Arriba County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Rio Arriba County | New Mexico | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 15.9 | 45.6 | 49.7 | 65% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 15.7 | 9.5 | 3.4 | 1.7× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.44 | 0.56 | 0.49 | 21% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.3% | 0.4% | 2.3% | 9.5× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 14.3% | 12.1% | 6.2% | 1.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 15.7% | 22.8% | 23.7% | 31% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.0% | 11.7% | 13.8% | 15% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 45.7% | 46.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 25.7% | 30.2% | 24.8% | 15% below the state |
Rio Arriba County has lower values than New Mexico for crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above New Mexico on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
Rio Arriba County at a glance: 1 in 23 crashes involve a garbage truck (3 since 2015), vs 0.4% across New Mexico.
Overview
Police reported 75 crashes involving commercial trucks in Rio Arriba County since 2015: 33 people were injured and 13 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 57 days in fully reported years.
Only 2 truck crashes were reported in Velarde since 2015; patterns below come from Rio Arriba County as a whole.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 14.7% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (4.0%).
November through March accounts for 45.7% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.8% in New Mexico.
By time of day, 10–11 am stands out with 12.0% of truck crashes.
14.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 12.1% across New Mexico.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Velarde happened on SR-68 (2) and US-285 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 3 of the truck crashes here, or 4.0%, compared with 0.4% in New Mexico.
Route planning tips for Velarde fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- With 14.3% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above New Mexico), plan winter equipment checks early.
- 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 Rio Arriba County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-68 | 2 |
| US-285 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Rio Arriba County) |
|---|---|
| US-550 | 8 |
| US-84 | 5 |
| US-64 | 5 |
| State Road 68 | 2 |
| Bl0Ck Of South Riverside Drive | 1 |
| County Road 56A | 1 |
| County Road 69 | 1 |
| Hwy 84/285 Mm 197 | 1 |
Velarde at a glance
| Land area | 2.6 sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Rio Arriba 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 | 2 | — | 2.1 |
| 2000s | 5 | +178% | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 6 | +20% | 0.8 |
| 2020s | 7 | +9% | 1.8 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 2 a year in the 1990s and 7 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.8 a year in 2016–19 and 1.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Velarde
How common are truck crashes in Velarde?
Rio Arriba County has had 75 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 33 people and killing 13.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Velarde?
Truck crashes in Rio Arriba County peak in January, with 14.7% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Velarde?
Since 2015, Rio Arriba County has reported 3 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.0% of its truck crashes.
How does Velarde compare with New Mexico for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 15.9 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Rio Arriba County, vs 45.6 for New Mexico.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Velarde?
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.