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New Mexico · State Law Library Hub
New Mexico Auto Insurance & Crash Law Library
A public legal education and research library for New Mexico automobile insurance, UM/UIM, comparative negligence, insurer duties, damages, settlement and controlling authority.
New Mexico State Law Library
Numbered guides by legal category
Start with Guide 01 if you are new to the library. Browse all 22 issue guides by legal category and open the New Mexico guide that answers the next coverage, liability, damages, insurer-conduct or settlement question.
Getting Started in New Mexico
State-specific working guide: how to use the library, build the claim map, and decide what to do first.
Coverage & Insured Status
Required insurance, every policy, insured status, UM/UIM, stacking and policy interpretation.
Insurer Duties & Claims Conduct
Disclosure, claims handling, agents, defense and failure to settle.
Vehicle & Use Questions
Borrowed and rental vehicles, work use, rideshare and public-entity vehicles.
Liability & Proof
Comparative negligence, crash investigation and evidence preservation.
Damages & Resolution
Damages, wrongful death, medical-payment and reimbursement issues, and settlement.
Case Authority
New Mexico statutes and appellate authority organized by issue.
Guide 01 · New Mexico Citizen’s Guide
How to use this library before making a final claim decision
Build the claim map first, then open the New Mexico guide that answers the next question. Keep liability claims, UM/UIM, medical payments and reimbursement issues distinct.
Identify drivers, owners, possible employers, every claimant and other responsible parties. Consult Guide 14 for work use and Guide 16 promptly when a public entity may be involved.
Start with Guide 03, then read Guide 05 and Guide 06. Preserve declarations, endorsements, premium information and the UM/UIM offer, selection or rejection records.
Use Guide 18 for reports, photographs, video, witnesses, vehicle data and medical chronology. Keep a separate deadline calendar and the records needed to assess fault under Guide 17.
Review Guide 21, Guide 22, the case-authority library and official sources. Check remaining coverage, reimbursement demands and released parties before deciding whether to close a claim.
New Mexico Current-Law Snapshot
Issues to identify early
25 / 50 / 10 minimum liability
New Mexico’s statutory liability floor is 25/50/10.
Pure comparative negligence
Damages are reduced by claimant fault without a 50% or 51% recovery bar.
UM/UIM statutory offer and rejection
Section 66-5-301 and New Mexico rejection jurisprudence make the selection/rejection record central.
MedPay optional
New Mexico does not require PIP; medical-payments coverage depends on the contract.
Government-claim differences
New Mexico Tort Claims Act issues can materially change liability, procedure and deadlines.
New Mexico OSI
The Office of Superintendent of Insurance regulates insurers, complaints and market conduct.
Primary Research
Official New Mexico research sources
VictimsGuide is the navigation layer. Current primary authority, the actual insurance contract and the verified factual record control.
New Mexico Legislature
Open statutes →Office of Superintendent of Insurance
Open regulator →New Mexico MVD
Open MVD →New Mexico Courts
Open courts →New Mexico State Police
Open State Police →New Mexico Administrative Code
Open NMAC →The MVD insurance page provides the minimum liability amounts and insurance-verification information. For a coverage dispute, also read the actual policy and the authorities linked in the relevant child guide.
How this library stays current
Build the complete New Mexico coverage and claim map
Identify every liable person and entity, every liability and first-party policy, UM/UIM selection or rejection, employment/public-entity issues, pure comparative negligence, evidence, damages, insurer conduct, medical-payment/reimbursement interests and release consequences before claim closure.
Do not let one insurance card define the available recovery.
Find the policies, identify the insureds and responsible parties, preserve the evidence, and review damages, reimbursement and release consequences before treating a claim as complete.