NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- What’s the best state to drive in? New York’s marks aren’t incredible, but they’re better than any other northeastern state.
A new study, out this week from WalletHub, ranks all 50 states based on cost of car ownership, traffic and infrastructure, safety as well as access to vehicles and maintenance.
New York came in at No. 18, better than any of its regional neighbors. While the Empire State ranked in the bottom 10 for cost of ownership and traffic, it made the top three for safety and access to vehicles.
Meanwhile, New Jersey comes in at No. 38, and Connecticut at No. 39. Connecticut actually took top marks for safety, while New Jersey was No. 4, but Connecticut was No. 46 in cost of ownership, while New Jersey was No. 48 for traffic.
The closest northeastern state to New York is Maine at No. 20, while Vermont is No. 27, Pennsylvania hit at No. 32, New Hampshire takes No. 34, Massachusetts is at No. 37 and Rhode Island is all the way down at No. 49.
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Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas make up the top five, while Hawaii grabbed last place.
The study utilized a multitude of subjects to come to its scores, with various weights on each portion that is further explained within the study methodology.
Cost of ownership questions included average gas prices, car insurance premium and fix-up costs.
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Under traffic and infrastructure, considered was rush hour congestion, increase in highway travel on highways over the year, number of days with precipitation/ice/wind and overall road and bridge quality.
Safety included incidents due to “poor” behavior, seatbelt use, traffic fatalities and if crash numbers have changed over the year, along with theft rates, DUI punishments, driving laws and number of uninsured drivers.
The final category, access to vehicles and maintenance, had a lighter weight on the score versus the other three topics. It included car dealerships, auto repair shops, gas stations, garages and parking lots per capita.
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