By Staff Writer: Kayla Kocher
When I moved to eastern New Mexico in the summer of 2022, my husband left on a TDY, the military term for a temporary work trip away from home base right away. I was new, overwhelmed and suddenly alone in a place where I did not know anyone. One of the first friends I made was Josh Stovall, better known as “Stoves,” and he was the person who helped make Clovis feel less unfamiliar.
He also became my introduction to how driving here can feel like a monthly gamble.
Stovall estimates he has dealt with more than 20 vehicle incidents since living in Clovis, from flats and cracked windshields to parking lot hits that left vehicles damaged or totaled. He said he averages about one flat tire a month when you spread it across the last five years. He no longer owns his GMC Yukon, but he said it needed three windshield replacements while he lived here. One of his motorcycles picked up two flats. Another was hit, he said.
The details are the kind that sound made up until you have lived them. Stovall said a pothole cracked a radiator. Road debris ruined tires beyond repair. A tumbleweed ripped a brake line. He even said a repair shop mistake ended up destroying an engine.
Some of it is the environment, but some of it is people, too. Stovall said the most frustrating damage is the kind caused by someone who was not paying attention. In February 2025, he said, he walked out of Buffalo Wild Wings in Clovis and found his truck had been hit while it was parked. “I was inside waiting on my food, and somebody still managed to tag my truck,” he said.
His streak sounds like extreme bad luck, but New Mexico’s crash data suggests the roads are not exactly forgiving. A July 2025 analysis by TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, reported New Mexico’s 2024 traffic fatality rate was 1.43 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, the 10th-highest rate in the country. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s national data shows speeding was a contributing factor in 29% of traffic fatalities in 2023, a reminder that small choices behind the wheel can turn costly fast.
For Stovall, the damage adds up beyond repair receipts. He said a tire warranty did not help once a matching tire was discontinued, forcing him to pay out of pocket for replacements. And after enough dents, glass and close calls, the stress becomes its own cost.
“When I leave this town, I’m probably going to need therapy just from driving here,” he said.