Pedestrian fatalities--New Mexico, 1958-1987.

Pedestrian fatalities constitute approximately one seventh of all traffic-related deaths in the United States (1). In addition to the disproportionate numbers of pedestrian fatalities that occur among children and the elderly, minority populations are at increased risk for pedestrian deaths (2-4). In New Mexico, approximately half the population are minority persons--primarily Hispanics and American Indians. Injury fatality rates for these groups are substantially higher than national rates, especially for the state's American Indians (4,5). This report summarizes an analysis by the University of New Mexico School of Medicine of pedestrian fatalities among New Mexico's American Indians, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites.