HOUSE MEMORIAL 23

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Joanne J. Ferrary and Dayan Hochman-Vigil and Art De La Cruz and Raymundo Lara

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE REGULATION AND LICENSING DEPARTMENT, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MOTOR VEHICLE DIVISION OF THE TAXATION AND REVENUE DEPARTMENT, TO STUDY THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF REESTABLISHING A STATEWIDE MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY INSPECTION PROGRAM AND TO REPORT THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY WITH A RECOMMENDATION ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT SUCH A PROGRAM.

     WHEREAS, there are four pillars vital to roadway safety: safe road design; qualified drivers; good driving decisions by motor vehicle operators; and safe motor vehicles; and

     WHEREAS, a study prepared for the Pennsylvania department of transportation by Cambridge systematics clearly shows that jurisdictions with motor vehicle safety inspection programs have significantly fewer fatal crashes than jurisdictions without such programs; and

     WHEREAS, a national study by Carnegie Mellon university presents strong evidence that jurisdictions experience lower roadway fatality rates due to the presence of an active motor vehicle safety inspection program; and

     WHEREAS, the effectiveness of motor vehicle safety inspection programs continues to be deliberated in legislative bodies across the country; and

     WHEREAS, the national highway traffic safety administration has stated that "each state should have a program for periodic inspection of all registered motor vehicles to reduce the number of motor vehicles with existing or potential conditions that may contribute to crashes or increase the severity of crashes that do occur and require the owner to correct such conditions"; and

     WHEREAS, the fatality analysis reporting system of the national highway traffic safety administration indicates that, compared to the national average, states with motor vehicle safety inspections experience ten and three-tenths percent fewer deaths; and

     WHEREAS, fifteen states require motor vehicles to undergo periodic safety inspections; and

     WHEREAS, in 2024, motor vehicle safety inspections in Missouri detected defective equipment on approximately one in five motor vehicles; and

     WHEREAS, modern motor vehicles are increasingly using extensive, advanced electronic safety components that motor vehicle operators are growing more dependent on to ensure their safety and the safety of others; and

     WHEREAS, modern motor vehicles are incorporating safety technologies that are facilitating a trend toward autonomous and semi-autonomous operation; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico previously imposed a motor vehicle safety inspection program in the 1970s that proved too cumbersome for the state to continue to implement and that was subsequently ended;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that during the 2026 legislative interim, the regulation and licensing department, in collaboration with the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department, be requested to research and study the benefits of reestablishing a statewide motor vehicle safety inspection program and to report the results of the study with a recommendation on how to efficiently implement such a program to the department of transportation, the department of public safety, the governor and the New Mexico legislative council; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the secretary of transportation, the secretary of public safety, the superintendent of regulation and licensing, the director of the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department and the co-chairs of the New Mexico legislative council.

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