DAVID L. TEIBEL and GABRIELA RICO

Two pickup crashes that killed three people and injured others within two days this week are part of a growing trend, a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman said.
"What we have found is, the number of vehicle accident deaths is (higher than) the number of heat- related deaths," Supervisory Patrol Agent Andy Adame said.

In past years the number of immigrants killed by the heat in the Arizona desert far outstripped the number killed when vehicles packed with illegal immigrants crashed, he said.

This year's spike in crashes is "very uncommon from years past," Adame said.

Although there have been 43 known illegal immigrant deaths since Oct. 1, only nine have been confirmed as heat-related. Seven were from exposure to the cold and 12 were related to vehicle crashes, Adame said. In the remaining 15 cases, the cause of death is unknown.

Heavier enforcement along the border has forced smugglers to use cheaper vehicles, cram more people into them and drive faster.

"They are pieces of junk," Adame said of the vehicles, which often have balding tires. "Something usually goes wrong."

Adding to the danger is the smugglers' choice of narrow, winding roads, Adame said.

"We've encountered numerous vehicles doing 100-plus (mph)," he said.

Adame said the biggest frustration is the lack of regard that smugglers exhibit for illegal immigrants and the public.

While some immigrant smugglers use stolen cars - one that crashed Friday morning had been reported stolen Wednesday in Phoenix - Adame said this also is a new trend.

Stepped-up seizure efforts are driving smugglers to steal or rent cars, he said.

As of April 30, the Border Patrol had seized close to 4,000 smugglers' vehicles. Of those, about 300 had been reported stolen.