Road to zero

Ending acceptance of traffic fatalities

The remains of the guardrail, surrounded by associated vehicle debris, at “Twin Tanks” on NM 502 just east of Los Alamos.

Story by Stephanie Nakhleh
Photos by Minesh Bacrania

How many traffic fatalities are acceptable in Los Alamos? Two deaths in seven months — including the recent loss of Dr. Charles McMillan, former director of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), in a two-vehicle collision — have reignited concerns about traffic safety and the apparent lack of effective measures to prevent such tragedies.

Two families shattered

Drs. Philip Leonard, 44, and Charlie McMillan, 69, were more than just casualties of Los Alamos traffic. They were fathers, husbands, and distinguished scientists whose lives were cut short in separate crashes. Leonard, an organic chemist at LANL, had a toddler son and was expecting a daughter with his wife Jamie when he died on Feb. 27. His family remembers him as “the single most honorable, honest, generous, and trustworthy man anyone could ask for.” 

Former LANL Director McMillan, who enjoyed a long and distinguished career at both Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories, was killed on Sept. 6. Beyond his scientific achievements, he was a passionate musician and advocate for STEM education in Northern New Mexico. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Janet Robb McMillan; his son Paul McMillan; daughters Caroline McMillan and Katherine McCurry; and grandson Oliver McCurry. A memorial service will be held at Ashley Pond in Los Alamos on October 10.

What happened?

Following this reflection on these two lives cut short, it is important to provide an accurate account of the events that led to these collisions. The details that follow, while difficult, are crucial to understanding the circumstances surrounding these deaths.

September 6 crash: According to a three-page police report obtained by Boomtown, the wreck involving Charlie McMillan occurred around 5:16 a.m. on NM 502 near, but not exactly at, the intersection with Camino Entrada. McMillan was driving eastbound with his wife as a passenger when a westbound vehicle, driven by 22-year-old Nadia Lopez of Española, crossed the center line while navigating a curve. This resulted in a head-on collision between the two vehicles.

Witnesses at the scene, including McMillan's wife, stated that Lopez's vehicle had crossed into their lane before the collision. McMillan was conscious but initially trapped in the vehicle, a 2012 GMC Yukon. He was eventually freed by firefighters and transported to Los Alamos Medical Center with serious injuries, and he later died at the hospital.

Lopez, the driver of the second vehicle, had to be extricated from her heavily damaged 2016 Acura TLX, which sustained significant impact to the front driver’s side. She was then transported to the hospital. She told officers she could not recall the events leading up to the crash. Both vehicles had substantial front-end damage, and there were gouge marks on the eastbound side of the road, further indicating that Lopez’s car had crossed the center line into McMillan’s lane.

Both vehicles were towed from the scene, and the investigation was taken over by a crash team to map and analyze the scene further. An expired insurance card was found in Lopez's vehicle, with McMillan's insurance information unavailable due to the damage to his car. An investigation is still underway to determine what caused Lopez to depart her lane.

February 27 crash: Many months after the crash that killed Phil Leonard, LAPD released a 199-page investigative report. It states that Ayla Gustafson, 21, of White Rock, was driving eastbound on the Truck Route in a 2017 Toyota RAV4 around 7:30 a.m. when she crossed the double yellow line into oncoming traffic approximately one mile east of the LANSCE facility. She struck a westbound 2024 Toyota Camry, driven by Leonard, head-on. A third vehicle, a 2013 Buick Enclave driven by James Benge, was also involved in the crash, colliding with Leonard’s vehicle after the initial impact. Gustafson, Leonard, and Benge were all trapped in their vehicles upon the arrival of medics, and all were extricated by the Los Alamos Fire Department.

A scene photograph of the fatal accident on the truck route. Source: LAPD police report PD20240123, obtained through IPRA.

Leonard was transported to Los Alamos Medical Center, where he died of his injuries shortly after arrival. Gustafson, who remained trapped in her car for an extended period, also suffered significant injuries, including fractures and lacerations. She was eventually freed and transported to the hospital. Gustafson reported not remembering the events leading up to the crash. Benge also sustained severe injuries and was transported to the hospital.

Investigators discovered that Gustafson had sent two text messages shortly before the crash, raising suspicions that texting might have contributed to the incident. Both Leonard and Benge likely had no opportunity to avoid the collision. As part of the investigation, Gustafson was issued citations for careless driving and failure to maintain lanes​.

In a statement to Boomtown, County Manager Anne Laurent acknowledged the terrible impact of these events, stating, “Any traffic accident resulting in injury or death is deeply troubling and affects our entire community on a personal level.”

Death is not acceptable — in theory

Both the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) and Los Alamos County have theoretically adopted a new approach to traffic safety — the Safe System Approach and Vision Zero strategy — which asserts that all traffic deaths and serious injuries are preventable. 

Infographic comparing principles of Vision Zero vs traditional approaches to traffic safety. Vision Zero Network

The Safe System Approach acknowledges that humans make mistakes and road systems should be designed to prevent those mistakes from resulting in fatal or serious injuries. Nevertheless, it isn’t clear whether this new approach has led to any fundamental change in road design locally.

Records from the LAPD of all crashes since 2017 show that fatal crashes continue to occur regularly. The years from 2019 to the present saw six fatal crashes: one in 2019, three in 2021, and two so far this year. (Boomtown has requested detailed accounts of each fatal crash and will report on the factors involved.) While the data don’t indicate a statistically significant increase in fatalities, the community’s perception is that road safety has markedly declined. Crashes just outside county lines — such as on the NM 502 stretch known as “Twin Tanks” down to Totavi gas station — may contribute to this perception. The emotional impact of high-profile tragedies also plays a role. But the perception is not entirely in people’s heads: notably, the data show that incidents LAPD categorized as resulting in any injury have risen from 23 in 2017 to 51 in 2023, with some fluctuations. Even if fatalities haven’t spiked, more people are experiencing harm on our roads.

Crash data for Los Alamos reveal two interrelated problems: widespread driver inattention and deadly lane departures. Nearly 50% of serious wrecks since 2020 involved distracted driving, while center-line crossovers accounted for four of the six traffic fatalities. “It’s a combination of distracted driving, of reckless driving, with people trying to get to work faster,” said former Deputy Police Chief Oliver Morris in an interview with Boomtown before he retired. “That’s definitely something we want to focus on — people who get impatient and start taking risks, which puts others at risk as well.”

“A very real fatality issue”

One of the primary tools LAPD is using to tackle the issue is targeted traffic enforcement. Commander Daniel Roberts, who oversees operations, said in a May 21 County Council presentation that LAPD had, in response to the February fatality, ramped up traffic stops in key areas known for speeding and reckless driving.

“In just two mornings, in partnership with tribal agencies, we issued 240 citations near the Y [the intersection of NM 4 and NM 502] and Main Hill,” said Roberts. Even the police find the roads terrifying, he added. “It’s always very scary to me when we run traffic in some of these areas, because officers being hit on the side of the road is a very real fatality issue, and some of our roadways are very dangerous to do so.” 

LAPD has stepped up traffic enforcement since the September 6th fatality on NM 502, but such temporary measures are only a small part of addressing a larger cultural problem.

The department uses speed trailers to collect data on the most critical times and locations for enforcement. This approach allows them to focus patrols where they can catch the highest number of speeders. “This is going to be your most bang for your buck. You’re going to get the most people running over 10 miles an hour plus,” explained Oliver Morris, at the same Council meeting.

When Boomtown spoke to LAPD Chief Dino Sgambellone on Sept. 6, hours after the most recent fatality, he reiterated what his officers said about increasing patrols, at least temporarily: “We’re going to fall back to what we do: we are going to increase patrols, and you’ll see that over the short term,” he said. LAPD is not fully staffed, he said, which makes it difficult to keep up the increased patrols consistently in the long term. Sgambellone also pointed out the limitations of relying solely on enforcement, pointing to traffic engineering, driver education, and automaker improvements in enhancing safety as factors outside police control but crucial for overall traffic safety.

The “terror part of their day”

The intersection of the Truck Route and NM 4 during the evening rush hour.

In a town where the LANL workforce dominates commuter traffic, any conversation about road safety must include the Laboratory and its managing agencies. Traffic during most of the day in Los Alamos is described as “light” by local traffic experts, but during the morning and evening rush hours, the roads become heavily congested with commuters. According to NNSA Field Office Manager Ted Wyka's presentation to Los Alamos County Council on March 19, 67% of the Lab’s 18,500-strong workforce resides off the mesa. This translates to over 12,000 employees, many of whom commute, significantly impacting safety during peak periods.

At that same meeting, Wyka outlined several concrete actions aimed at improving the safety of Lab commuters. Among the key measures he proposed were:

• Installing speed enforcement cameras along the truck route on LANL property, with a plan to have them fully operational within the year.

• Reviewing historical data on speeds, crashes, and complaints to determine if other areas around LANL might need speed cameras.

• Collaborating with the LAPD to create a more effective speed enforcement program.

• Launching increased communication efforts, including town halls and messaging initiatives, to raise awareness about driver safety among employees and the community.

• Sending a clear message to Lab employees that repeated traffic violations or improper parking could lead to disciplinary action, as such behavior reflects an inability to follow rules.

Wyka said that the goal is not only to prevent fatalities, but also to address the daily anxiety many employees feel during their commutes. “It’s not just about tragic accidents. I’m getting lots of notes from my folks that work for me, and same with Lab leadership, that this is a terror part of their day, commuting to and from work. And that has to stop,” he said.

Early morning weekday traffic leading up the hill to Los Alamos.

In addition to speed cameras and patrols, Wyka called for a broader cultural change. The NNSA is looking into remote working options, parking pilots, and telework policies to reduce traffic congestion. “The cameras only do so much,” he admitted. “But once we start enforcing the rules and reinforcing a culture of safety, that’s when real change will happen.”

Boomtown has repeatedly reached out to LANL and NNSA officials to follow up on the status of the speed camera program — whether the cameras are operational, collecting data, and being used for disciplinary purposes — but no clear answers have been provided. Although polite acknowledgments of the inquiries were made, no substantive information from either LANL or NNSA has been shared on the record with Boomtown. 

Speed cameras: a slow-moving solution

On the town side of things, speed cameras are also being considered as a solution to improve road safety in Los Alamos, but implementing them on county-managed roads presents its own challenges. There are two distinct types of “speed cameras” at play:

1. Enforcement speed cameras, which capture license plate information and issue civil penalties for speeding or red-light violations. Implementing these cameras would require a lengthy process, including ordinance development, vendor procurement, and regular maintenance. “It would take a while to implement if that were the direction we were to go,” Roberts said, noting that the cameras would focus on speed, red light, and school-zone violations. 

2. Data-collecting speed trailers, which are not true cameras but are sometimes referred to as such. These devices do not record license plates or issue penalties but collect anonymized data on vehicle speeds, traffic flow, and times of day. Roberts said that these trailers are often deployed in response to citizen complaints to help assess whether there is a legitimate speeding issue in a given area. “We place them in different areas and move them around every couple of weeks to see if speeding is actually a problem,” Roberts said. The data helps LAPD determine where to focus its enforcement efforts.

At the May 21 Council meeting, Roberts also pointed out the usefulness of more immediate solutions like “blue-light” traffic indicators at key intersections, which can help officers catch red-light runners more effectively. “I’ve seen this personally many times,” Roberts said, adding that these blue-light indicators are another tool to reduce dangerous driving behavior, especially during high-traffic commuting times.

Both the town and Lab sides agree that while technological interventions can be part of a solution, they must be paired with broader cultural changes and increased enforcement efforts to have a lasting impact on the community’s safety.

Community calls for action and transparency

Community members are increasingly vocal about their concerns regarding road safety in Los Alamos. 

A near-miss incident at the congested intersection of Diamond Drive and Canyon Road immediately following LAHS dismissal.

Kyle Wheeler, a longtime resident, former County Councilor, and former Transportation Board member, spoke to Boomtown about the importance of road safety and traffic-calming infrastructure: “I was totally in favor of the road diet, which I know a lot of people are like: that’s the worst thing that ever happened. But do you remember when people used to go about 45-50 miles an hour on Trinity?” she said. “To me, the safety of the people who live here is more important than getting through town fast.”

Voices from the community also emerged on social media platforms. Boomtown polled the Los Alamos subreddit about the members’ personal thoughts on the commute. One user expressed anxiety over family safety due to dangerous driving behaviors: “We finally found an amazing childcare facility, but my husband now has to reverse commute to take our son to daycare down the hill and come back up to work at the Lab. I am definitely worried no matter which route they take that some crazy driver is going to get into an accident with them or near them. I really hope that something is done to protect commuters from drivers who are constantly speeding and playing with their phones instead of driving safely.”

Another resident voiced frustration over the lack of tangible progress despite ongoing discussions: “I've filled out a survey every year I’ve lived and worked here and have seen diddly squat happen — just more demand and deadlier traffic. No one wants another thought piece. We’ve made our needs known. You’re more useful proposing real solutions with all that stale data.”

Los Alamos High School delayed its start time in 2024 to 8:30 a.m. This, in addition to LANL morning traffic, has resulted in significant congestion on Diamond Drive during commute hours.

The “Los Alamos Commuters” public page on Facebook, too, is filled with worries about wrecks. “What is up with all the accidents lately on that road. And it’s not even winter yet. Please be careful everyone," wrote one user, who also commented, “The speed limit is 40 and people drive 70.” Another wrote, after the Sept. 6 crash, “That road has become a Major Hazard and it’s because of the excessive number of employees commuting to and from LANL.” A third commenter said, “Commuting to work [shouldn’t] mean putting your life on the line. Eliminating the amount of traffic up and down that hill will definitely decrease the number of accidents. The various work schedules offered obviously don’t help in this situation. LANL has over 13,000 people working there and commuting everyday...that’s insane!!!” 

These community perspectives show a growing impatience and a demand for actionable solutions rather than plans and policies that aren’t implemented. The calls for increased transparency, effective enforcement, and a cultural shift toward responsible driving are becoming more urgent.

The hard road ahead: conflicting jurisdictions and meager resources

Public Works Director Juan Rael acknowledged residents’ desires for ambitious projects like a third access road to Los Alamos County, but cited terrain, land ownership, and financial hurdles. “Given the geographical constraints, adding roadways is not only difficult, but very costly,” he said. Despite these challenges, Rael has successfully collaborated with NMDOT on safety initiatives like the road diet and roundabout on Trinity Drive — a section of state-owned NM 502 that runs through town. These projects demonstrate that partnerships with state agencies are possible. However, Rael said that such collaboration is complex and time-consuming. Improvements to other parts of NM 502 and the Truck Route (managed by DOE) pose significant challenges. “We can’t make changes on state roads just because we want to,” he said. Modest safety measures like lane barriers to prevent head-on collisions are unlikely anytime soon due to jurisdictional issues and funding limitations, he added.

As elected representatives, County Councilors are key in addressing traffic safety concerns. Councilor Suzie Havemann stressed the need for transparency and community engagement: “We need to communicate about the causes of these accidents so we can learn from them. If we don’t know the reasons, we can’t solve anything.” She also called for a shift in attitudes against reckless driving.

Council Chair Denise Derkacs stated: “Public Safety is a Council priority. Any loss of life or serious injury is a tragedy. I expect the County to be proactive in addressing road safety.” Councilors Theresa Cull and Randall Ryti echoed these sentiments.

County Manager Anne Laurent said road safety involves multiple factors, including driver behavior. She noted that “statistically, Los Alamos County is not considered a dangerous place to drive. Still, we know that any injury or fatality resulting from a traffic accident is tragic and should serve as a reminder to us all to drive safely and look for opportunities to make improvements.” Laurent urged everyone to stay alert, follow traffic laws, and minimize distractions: “Road safety starts with all of us.”

Traffic deaths are preventable

Despite statements of concern from local leadership, which appear after every traffic fatality, there have been few practical changes in the overall approach to traffic safety on the roads to and from Los Alamos. While acknowledging the problems are real, officials consistently cite jurisdictional limitations, funding constraints, and logistical challenges as barriers to implementing significant safety measures. In practice, responsibility often falls solely on individual drivers while broader systemic issues remain unaddressed, as evidenced by the fatal February crash where only the young driver received a misdemeanor citation.

“Vision Zero” principles — which maintain that all traffic deaths are preventable — theoretically guide us, but the lack of clear metrics and accountability across multiple jurisdictions leaves a gap between aspiration and implementation. Progress may be slow, tracked in years rather than months, but the success of redesigns such as the Trinity Drive road diet, traffic circles, and the Truck Route/NM-4 interchange shows it is possible.

“If we want people to slow down and be more attentive, we are going to have to modify some of our road designs,” said current Transportation Board Chair David Hampton. “As it is, many of our current designs encourage higher than posted speeds and give drivers a false sense of safety.” Continued collaboration between the county and other jurisdictions will create safer road designs, and, Hampton said, “combined with last year’s commitment from LANL to have 2,400 cars off the road in three to five years and our County’s commitment to improving multi-modal transportation will substantially improve traffic safety and traffic flow.”