ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The Latest on (all times local):
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Gov. Susana Martinez has unveiled New Mexico’s latest round of television ads aimed at curbing drunken driving.
The governor said during a news conference in Albuquerque on Tuesday that law enforcement will be out in full force looking for suspected drunken drivers during the New Year’s holiday and through the month of January.
The new ads provide a firsthand perspective of what it’s like to be pulled over for driving drunk. The ads will run through Jan. 9.
The governor also released a list of the top 10 most wanted DWI fugitives. It includes the names and photographs of those who have more than a few DWI offenses on their records.
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New Mexico State Police and other law enforcement agencies are planning to crack down on drunken drivers in January.
State police will be conducting sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols in all of the state’s 33 counties next month. They’ll also be looking for drivers whose licenses are expired or revoked and those who are driving without insurance.
Authorities say the checkpoints are part of ongoing efforts to curb alcohol-related traffic deaths through media attention and intensive advertising.
The latest data from the state Transportation Department and the University of New Mexico shows 143 people have died in alcohol-related crashes from January through November. That accounts for nearly 40 percent of the state’s traffic fatalities in the first 11 months of the year.
In 2015, 120 alcohol-related traffic fatalities were recorded.
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