SB 73 requires New Mexico driver education and motorcycle driver education courses to include at least three hours of instruction on driving with vulnerable road users. The bill defines vulnerable road users broadly to include pedestrians, cyclists, people on scooters and mopeds, motorcyclists, farm tractors, wheelchair users, and others who are not protected by a vehicle shell. It also directs the state’s traffic safety and driver licensing authorities to incorporate this training into minimum course standards and licensing requirements for driver education schools and instructors.
In addition to the new vulnerable-road-user instruction, the bill amends related Motor Vehicle Code and traffic safety provisions to align state definitions and program duties. It requires the bureau to include at least three hours of vulnerable-road-user training and at least two hours of DWI prevention and education in minimum driver training standards, and it preserves existing authority over driver education school licensing, annual license renewal, and statewide traffic safety programming. The act takes effect January 1, 2027.
Impact
The bill changes several sections of New Mexico law governing driver education, motor vehicle definitions, and the duties of the traffic safety bureau. It adds a new mandatory curriculum component for approved driver-education and motorcycle driver-education courses, and it updates licensing standards for driver education schools and instructors to require vulnerable-road-user training and DWI prevention education. The practical effect is to make this instruction a statewide requirement for approved driver education programs and to expand the state’s traffic safety framework to emphasize pedestrian, bicyclist, and other non-vehicle road user safety.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been generally well received and ultimately passed both chambers with clear margins, including 25-15 in the Senate and 44-2 in the House. That voting pattern suggests broad support for the measure’s traffic safety goals, especially its focus on protecting pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users. The absence of committee transcript material limits insight into detailed debate, but the final votes indicate the bill was not especially controversial overall.
Contention
The main likely point of contention is the added instructional burden on driver education schools and instructors, including the requirement to fit three hours of vulnerable-road-user training into existing curricula and to comply with updated state standards. Another possible issue is whether the bill’s broad definition of vulnerable road user and its statewide mandate are the best way to improve road safety, though the recorded votes show only limited opposition. No specific committee objections or amendments are available in the provided materials.