New Mexico · Handbook chapter 3 · 6 min read

Chapter 3: Rules of the road

New Mexico seat belt and child restraint law, lane use, passing and turning rules, right-of-way, emergency vehicles, school buses, traffic circles, speed limits, parking rules and traffic points.

Why this chapter matters

These are the rules other drivers expect you to follow: who goes first, which lane to use, how fast to drive and where you may park. They make up a large share of the knowledge test.

Safety belts and child restraints

• It is illegal in New Mexico to drive without wearing a safety belt. Make sure every passenger is belted too.
• Wear both the lap and shoulder belt. With an automatic shoulder belt, still buckle the lap belt.
• All children under 12 must wear appropriate restraints. Children under 24 months, or under 60 pounds, must ride in an approved child safety device.
• Seat children in the rear. Never put a child in the front passenger seat, especially with an air bag.

General rules

• Never back up in a travel lane except to parallel park. If you miss a turn or exit, go on to a safe place to turn around.
• Do not stop in a travel lane for any reason; keep going until you can pull off safely.
• On roads with two or more lanes your way, keep right except to pass. With three or more lanes and lots of entering and exiting traffic, use the center lane.
• Never drive or pass on the shoulder, paved or not, unless officials tell you to.
• The left lane is for passing. Passing on the right is risky because the other driver may not see you.

Turning

Turn from the lane closest to the direction you want to go and into the lane closest to the one you came from, crossing as few lanes as possible. Signal every turn and lane change.

• Right turns: do not swing wide to the left first, or to the far lane as you finish.
• Left turns: do not cut the corner, but leave room for oncoming drivers turning left.
• Multiple turn lanes: stay in your lane through the turn.

Right-of-way

The law says who must yield; it does not give anyone the right-of-way. Always yield to a pedestrian, even one who is not obeying the signals.

• Yield to pedestrians crossing legally, and when crossing a sidewalk to enter or leave a driveway, alley or parking lot.
• Under the White Cane Law, take every precaution for a blind pedestrian with a white or metallic cane (with or without a red tip) or a guide dog.
• Drivers turning left yield to oncoming traffic going straight.
• Drivers entering a traffic circle yield to those already in it. In a circle, keep the island on your left by driving on its right side.
• At an intersection with no signs or signals, yield to vehicles from the right.
• At a four-way stop, the first to arrive goes first; if two arrive together, the one on the right goes first.
• Traffic from a driveway or alley yields to vehicles on the main road.
• Do not enter an intersection unless you can get all the way through without stopping.
• A driver overtaking a vehicle yields to it, even if it is slowing or stopping.

Emergency vehicles

Yield to police, fire and ambulance vehicles using a siren, air horn, or red or blue flashing lights. Pull to the right edge and stop. If you are in an intersection, drive through it first, then pull over. Follow instructions from the vehicle's loudspeaker.

School buses

Stop for a school bus with flashing red lights, whether it is on your side, the opposite side or at an intersection ahead. You do not have to stop if the bus is coming toward you on a road divided by a median or barrier. After the lights stop, wait until children have completely left the roadway.

Always yield to trains.

Speed limits

Never drive below a posted minimum. With no minimum posted, do not block normal traffic, and keep right when you are slower. Adjust your speed for bad conditions.

Parking

• Park away from traffic where others can see you. Set the parking brake and leave the car in park (or in gear with a manual).
• Get out on the curb side if you can, and never leave the keys in the car.
• On a hill, turn your wheels sharply toward the side of the road or the curb so the car would roll away from traffic.

Do not park

Also never park in an intersection, on a crosswalk or sidewalk, on a bridge or in a tunnel, on the wrong side of the street, double parked, on railroad tracks, blocking a driveway or curb ramp, or in a disabled space without a plate or placard.

Curb colors: white = short stops only; yellow = loading or other restriction; red = fire zone, no parking or standing; blue = disabled parking only.

Traffic violations and points

Many violations carry points. Twelve or more points in 12 months brings a one-year suspension. Some offenses, such as driving without insurance or registration, carry no points but mean a court appearance.