California is the worst state for drivers, and it’s not just because of the traffic on the 405.
Personal finance site Bankrate has ranked the best and worst states for drivers using seven measures related to cost, safety, and driving quality.
The three categories were weighted as follows:
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Cost (labor and parts, gas spending, insurance costs) — 45%
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Driving quality (commute times, road conditions) — 35%
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Safety (theft, fatal crash rates) — 20%
The so-called Golden State ranked worst in the entire U.S. for several reasons. Among them was that the average driver spends 44% of road miles in poor conditions. For every 100,000 residents, 426 vehicles are stolen. And the average annual auto insurance premium is $1,731, which ranks very high among the lot.
Hawaii, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Washington round out the worst-ranking places for drivers with average commute times ranging from 24.4 and 28.6 minutes.
“We’ve known for a long time that big metro areas are notorious for not being great for those who spend a lot of time behind the wheel. But places like Connecticut and Washington surprised me because you would expect to see New York in the top 5,” Bankrate data analyst Adrian Garcia told Yahoo Finance.
Meanwhile, the five best states for drivers are all clustered in the Midwest. Drivers who live in North Dakota, Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota, and Nebraska only have 10%-20% of road miles in poor conditions, and their commutes fall between 17.5 and 23.4 minutes on average.
Garcia emphasized that the rankings are derived holistically, and it can be a nuisance to commute to and from any urban area (take Bismarck vs. rural North Dakota, for example). Rush hour in the busiest parts of any major city will always be congested.
More of the same — driving is here to stay for now
Despite talk of the driving boom being over, the vast majority of Americans — 76.3% — still drive alone to work every day. According to a recent Gallup poll, 83% of U.S. adults drive a car at least several times a week.
Garcia suggests that Americans seek out alternative ways to get around. “In areas where commute times are long and car ownership costs are high, it may make more sense to skip the luxury of your own vehicle and opt for public transportation, a carpool or a bike ride to work,” he said.
“Carpooling with coworkers would be the number 1 way to save money and not have to change too much of your habits. Maybe work from home one or two days a week. This can reduce fuel costs. And finding non-rush hours or finding a company with flexible start times could allow for more efficiency,” he added.