New Mexico driving lesson · Communicating & Managing Space
Wildlife & keeping pace with traffic
A 3-minute lesson from the New Mexico course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Most of New Mexico is rural and rich in wildlife, and thousands of crashes a year involve large animals, hurting or killing people, damaging vehicles and raising insurance costs. Traffic itself also sets how fast you should go.
Scan the road edges for animals about to cross and watch for animal crossing signs, which mean vehicles have hit wildlife there. If you see animals that have been hit, slow down.
Keep pace with traffic. Every pass is a chance for a collision, and speeding saves only a few minutes an hour. Going much slower than traffic is just as bad; if vehicles pile up behind you, pull over when safe and let them pass.
When merging, enter at the speed of traffic. Use the ramp to get up to speed; don't stop at the end of it, or you'll lack room to speed up and may be rear-ended.
When leaving, keep up with traffic on the main road and don't slow down until you're on the exit ramp. Turning off a high-speed two-lane road, don't slow too early; tap your brakes and slow quickly but safely.
It's dusk on a mountain road and a deer crosses in front of you. You slow down and keep watching, because where one animal crosses there may be more right behind it.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
In what part of New Mexico should you especially watch for elk on the road?
The mountains only
Along the southern border only
The eastern plains only
The western three-quarters of the state
Answer: The western three-quarters of the state
Watch for elk in the western three-quarters of the state.