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MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2002

American Indians and Alaska Natives in New Mexico are more likely to die in car accidents than any other racial or ethnic group in the state, according to a new study.

Native Americans were six times more likely to die than whites and two times more than Hispanics, according to data examined by the University of New Mexico. The school prepared the study for a state agency whose focus is research on traffic fatalities and alcohol-related deaths in particular.

The statistics on that subject were even more alarming, according to the study. "Overall, Native Americans exhibited the highest rate of fatal alcohol-involved crashes," the report stated.

In 2000, for example, Native Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 were 10 times more likely to die from alcohol-related accidents than whites. The figure was based on state and federal data.

Native Americans are "over represented" in alcohol-related fatalities, the report stated. Indians are 11 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau while whites make up 46 percent.

Over 8,600 deaths were examined from the years 1982 to 2000. Of these, 46 percent had "measurable" blood alcohol content (BAC).

Native Americans were a significant portion of this subset, according to the report. About 70 percent had measurable BACs, compared to just one-third of whites and half of Hispanics.

Despite the high levels, the rates of alcohol-related fatalities actually declined from 1990 to 2000. There was a 30 percent drop in deaths among Native Americans, according to the report.

But since whites and Hispanics experienced similar declines, the rate of disparity among Natives did not change significantly. In 2000, the overall age-adjusted fatality rate was 48.9 deaths per 100,000, nearly three times the rate of whites.

Also, Native Americans who drank and drive had much higher BACs than others. The average was 0.23, nearly four times the legal state limit of 0.08.

In comparison, the average BAC for Hispanics was 0.17 and for whites, 0.16.

The report makes a number of recommendations to increase "culturally appropriate" alcohol education programs for Native Americans and Hispanics. The drop in deaths over the past decade was attributed to better prevention efforts.

New Mexico has always ranked high in alcohol-related traffic fatalities. It was third behind Mississippi and Montana for the year 2000. In 1990, it was the highest.

Get the Report:
Motor Vehicle Related Deaths in New Mexico: Alcohol and Ethnicity (September 2002)

Relevant Links:
Local Goverment Division, New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration - http://www.nmlocalgov.net/spb/index.html
Institute for Social Research, University of New Mexico - http://www.unm.edu/~isrnet

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