Friday, April 30th, 2004 — New Mexico is ready for step two in its effort to increase the number of insured vehicles on its roads: suspending the registration of nearly 300,000 uninsured vehicles.
The suspensions, which will begin next week, are part of a continuing campaign to cut the state's traditionally high rate of uninsured vehicles.
In the past, New Mexico has ranked among the worst states in the rate of uninsured drivers. The state, which has 1.5 million registered vehicles, now ranks 39th, said Ken Ortiz, manager of the state Motor Vehicles Division's insurance compliance section.
The state since late 2002 has cut the rate of uninsured drivers from 33 percent to about 18 percent by sending more than 508,000 letters warning drivers to get insurance, Ortiz said.
The national average of uninsured motorists is 14 percent.