23 votes

Best and worst US states to drive in

26 comments

  1. [3]
    burntcookie90
    Link
    Ah yes, “makes a comeback” through forced return to office programs. Yay culture Surprised to see Georgia missing from most of the lists. Not surprised to see it top the failing infra list though....

    As office culture makes a comeback

    Ah yes, “makes a comeback” through forced return to office programs. Yay culture

    Surprised to see Georgia missing from most of the lists. Not surprised to see it top the failing infra list though. This state has some of the most utterly fucked road systems I’ve ever seen.

    30 votes
    1. [2]
      Grumble4681
      Link Parent
      Their whole list seems messed up. Above the map, it shows Rank 1 = worst state, and rank 50 = best state. Why they then switched it up on the individual categories, I don't understand. In fact, it...

      Their whole list seems messed up. Above the map, it shows Rank 1 = worst state, and rank 50 = best state.

      Why they then switched it up on the individual categories, I don't understand. In fact, it almost makes no sense because California is the 2nd worst state as pointed out on the map, and most of their rankings are single digits, which follows the scale it set above the map.

      California
      Cost: Rank 1
      Congestion: Rank 4
      Safety: Rank 36
      Infrastructure: Rank 6
      Weather: Rank 47

      Now I know California has varying weather, but for driving, I would assume that the state would fare much better than a lot of northern states. This suggests to me that Rank 47 in Weather is following the scale above the map, which means 50 is the best, 1 is the worst.

      Now if you look at Georgia, it has Rank 50 at infrastructure. That should mean it's the best infrastructure, but on the lists below, they have it as the worst.

      Something seems off, but not sure exactly what the mix-up is.

      9 votes
      1. EmperorPenguin
        Link Parent
        It seemed based on their wording that the top 10 worst list was rated 50 is best, 1 is worst, and for the top 10 best list they did the opposite where 1 is best, 50 is worst. They should've stuck...

        It seemed based on their wording that the top 10 worst list was rated 50 is best, 1 is worst, and for the top 10 best list they did the opposite where 1 is best, 50 is worst. They should've stuck with 1 is best, 50 is worst for both lists to stop the confusion.

        2 votes
  2. [10]
    Sodliddesu
    Link
    The fact that Texas is only 18 blows my mind. I've dealt with Colorado, New Hampshire, New York, Maryland, California... And many more state's drivers but only in Texas have I had nearly daily...

    The fact that Texas is only 18 blows my mind. I've dealt with Colorado, New Hampshire, New York, Maryland, California... And many more state's drivers but only in Texas have I had nearly daily near misses by paper tag adorned shit boxes swerving through traffic without turn signals and big trucks entering 30mph traffic at 65+mph.

    Also, NH being top for weather related fatalities is interesting considering how strict NH's yearly safety inspection is. Cops will pull you over there to let you know your registration expires next month - after spotting you from the other side of the highway. I wonder if it's out-of-towners from Mass coming up and wrecking out.

    But to go back to the Texas slander, not a day goes by I don't pass at least a mild two car wreck, let alone two five car pile ups in one day. My biggest problems with NJ was missing my turn and having to drive five miles to turn around.

    17 votes
    1. [4]
      johansolo
      Link Parent
      I've driven in at least half of our 50 United States and Texas is the only one where I've experienced multiple different drivers who wanted me to pull over to the shoulder and have a fist fight...

      I've driven in at least half of our 50 United States and Texas is the only one where I've experienced multiple different drivers who wanted me to pull over to the shoulder and have a fist fight with them. Something in the water down there.

      22 votes
      1. [3]
        PopeRigby
        Link Parent
        The hell? How did they let you know they wanted to fight?

        The hell? How did they let you know they wanted to fight?

        1 vote
        1. johansolo
          Link Parent
          They pulled up next to me, rolled down their window, and said "let's fucking fight!" while gesturing towards the shoulder of the road. Not kidding.

          They pulled up next to me, rolled down their window, and said "let's fucking fight!" while gesturing towards the shoulder of the road. Not kidding.

          5 votes
        2. updawg
          Link Parent
          They were the ones who weren't brandishing guns.

          They were the ones who weren't brandishing guns.

          7 votes
    2. [2]
      AugustusFerdinand
      Link Parent
      Yeah, there's some weird weighting here since it only uses fatal crashes. Forbes released a report the other day that puts Dallas and Houston (the two most populous cities) in the top 10 for...

      Yeah, there's some weird weighting here since it only uses fatal crashes. Forbes released a report the other day that puts Dallas and Houston (the two most populous cities) in the top 10 for likelihood to get in a wreck, with Dallas being #2.

      https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/auto-accident/cities-most-car-accidents/#the_top_50_cities_where_youre_the_most_likely_to_get_into_a_car_accident_section

      9 votes
      1. patience_limited
        Link Parent
        I swear I've got PTSD from those cities - the highways are monstrous, with up to a dozen lanes, and the drivers and cars are terrifying. I'd be in a low-powered compact rental, surrounded by giant...

        I swear I've got PTSD from those cities - the highways are monstrous, with up to a dozen lanes, and the drivers and cars are terrifying. I'd be in a low-powered compact rental, surrounded by giant SUVs and rickety Demolition Derby survivors, passing a half-dozen wrecks on any given morning commute of 5 - 10 miles.

        Los Angeles might be a hair worse, Atlanta scarcely better, but Dallas and Houston remain my least favorite places to operate a car in. They have those lighted signs on display showing the current number of Texas highway fatalities for the year. If I was visiting in April, the totals already exceeded the deaths from the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

        5 votes
    3. FlippantGod
      Link Parent
      Seems to be erroneous wrt NH snowy weather risk. Snow/Sleet fatalities are 5 in Illinois and 1 in New Hampshire according to the NHTSA source. Even adjusting for population, this doesn't make...

      Seems to be erroneous wrt NH snowy weather risk.

      Snow/Sleet fatalities are 5 in Illinois and 1 in New Hampshire according to the NHTSA source. Even adjusting for population, this doesn't make sense, and this website already ranked NH as #1 best weather safety before listing it as worst.

      It would be better to go to their linked sources than rely on this site's regurgitation.

      4 votes
    4. [3]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [2]
        Sodliddesu
        Link Parent
        I'm not saying I doubt you but we have wildly different experiences. All my driving in Colorado was smooth sailing. From 70 out through Utah, the mountain back roads in the southwestern corner of...

        I'm not saying I doubt you but we have wildly different experiences. All my driving in Colorado was smooth sailing. From 70 out through Utah, the mountain back roads in the southwestern corner of the state, to the long empty of 25, rarely a bad road in sight.

        Texas on the other hand, I've got pot holes that have literally made my bumper fall off.

        2 votes
        1. [2]
          Comment deleted by author
          Link Parent
          1. 3rdcupcoffee
            Link Parent
            While i haven’t driven in Texas, I’ve driven in every major urban center in California (except San Diego), Arizona (all), Oregon (all), and a few in Washington, Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado....

            While i haven’t driven in Texas, I’ve driven in every major urban center in California (except San Diego), Arizona (all), Oregon (all), and a few in Washington, Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado.

            There’s bad drivers everywhere but i can agree with the avoiding battered vehicles with temp tags or no tags. Urban areas or more congested areas tend to be more aggressive than rural roads. Rural areas are more likely to see unexpected things, like obscenely drunk drivers, livestock in the road, farm vehicles, etc.

            For my personal award for aggressive yet organized driving, Phoenix az takes the cake. Speed or perish. If you just join in there’s no issue. If you drive the speed limit you’re basically a road hazard.

            For my personal choice for general number of assholes and dickheads (blocked merges, selfish maneuvers in traffic, unnecessary passing), Reno nv is the winner, but Bay Area ca is a close second. I’ve literally been forced off the Highway in Reno, twice. Intentionally it would seem. I drive a common car, with no stickers or political statements. I’ve never had this experience anywhere else.

            When i talk to other people about driving in these areas, I’ve learned to take everything with a grain of salt (or a gram), as bad drivers tend to be some of the worst judges of others. I wouldn’t consider myself an especially excellent driver, as i still make a mistake on occasion, but i have a clean record for the last 8-9 years, and drive more miles than most.

            2 votes
  3. [3]
    phoenixrises
    Link
    Jersey boy here, anecdotally I feel like Jersey drivers have gotten a lot worse since I moved back last year. I do find it a bit strange though that we're 46th in terms of safety and still put up...

    Jersey boy here, anecdotally I feel like Jersey drivers have gotten a lot worse since I moved back last year. I do find it a bit strange though that we're 46th in terms of safety and still put up so high when California beats us in every metric besides congestion and infrastructure. I can believe that our infra is really bad though, my poor car has been through too many bumps and bruises now. And it's funny because the 31 minute average congestion time, my reaction was... that's it?

    (also all this congestion wouldn't be so bad if NY and PA drivers learned how to drive!!! shakes fist semi joking but please stay out of the left lane unless you're actually passing)

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      vord
      Link Parent
      Jersey's congestion is skewed because anyone commuting in or out of NYC or Philly has to deal with a small handful of bridges. TBH I grew up in PA and I feared for my life 10x more daily than I...

      Jersey's congestion is skewed because anyone commuting in or out of NYC or Philly has to deal with a small handful of bridges.

      TBH I grew up in PA and I feared for my life 10x more daily than I have ever in NJ.

      5 votes
      1. phoenixrises
        Link Parent
        yuppp. I do think roads like Rt 1 kinda add to it though, though i imagine it's not that much worse than other places. My thoughts was always that PA drivers always skewed with our driver...

        yuppp. I do think roads like Rt 1 kinda add to it though, though i imagine it's not that much worse than other places. My thoughts was always that PA drivers always skewed with our driver statistics though haha, every time i'm using the left lane there's always a PA driver just sitting there.

        3 votes
  4. [4]
    shinigami
    Link
    Honestly surprised Michigan is in the middle of the pack. The joke in MI is, "there's only two season, winter and road construction" It feels like every road is either torn up and getting redone,...

    Honestly surprised Michigan is in the middle of the pack. The joke in MI is, "there's only two season, winter and road construction"

    It feels like every road is either torn up and getting redone, or have potholes the whole way, and were done 2 years ago.

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      balooga
      Link Parent
      I don't have strong feelings about Michigan drivers, but yeah Michigan roads are the absolute WORST.

      I don't have strong feelings about Michigan drivers, but yeah Michigan roads are the absolute WORST.

      4 votes
      1. Moogles
        Link Parent
        Michigan drivers tend to move over and get out of your way on the highway. For that I’ll give them high marks. I’m a little biased though…

        Michigan drivers tend to move over and get out of your way on the highway. For that I’ll give them high marks.

        I’m a little biased though…

        1 vote
    2. patience_limited
      Link Parent
      Having lived in Michigan and Florida, I can tell you that the philosophy of road construction is a little different in a place that has six months of bad weather. In Florida, they'll keep a lane...

      Having lived in Michigan and Florida, I can tell you that the philosophy of road construction is a little different in a place that has six months of bad weather. In Florida, they'll keep a lane closed for construction for months on end; in Michigan, they'll close the whole road for a few weeks.

      Four wet seasons from freezing to broiling plays havoc with road materials. It really does take constant maintenance to ensure relatively smooth roads, and Michigan is still digging out from decades of low-tax neglect.

      3 votes
  5. [2]
    DingusMaximus
    (edited )
    Link
    I see SC is the 2nd most dangerous state to drive in, which totally tracks. If you've driven/live here, you know. But I'm honestly surprised SC doesn't rank higher for worst overall just based on...

    I see SC is the 2nd most dangerous state to drive in, which totally tracks. If you've driven/live here, you know. But I'm honestly surprised SC doesn't rank higher for worst overall just based on the terrible infrastructure alone. The cost of road maintenance is low because we just don't fucking do it! The state just passes that cost along to drivers via excessive vehicle maintenance.

    I guess cheap fuel (relatively) also nudges the state out of the top 10.

    3 votes
    1. Ruin
      Link Parent
      The lack of inspection is great too, if it can move it's fine to drive apparently.

      The lack of inspection is great too, if it can move it's fine to drive apparently.

      2 votes
  6. Decapitat3d
    Link
    The interesting thing to me is that there seems to be no meter for driver aggression and idiocy for how bad it is to drive anywhere. I feel like the driver factor weighs in more in certain...

    The interesting thing to me is that there seems to be no meter for driver aggression and idiocy for how bad it is to drive anywhere. I feel like the driver factor weighs in more in certain instances that are hard to quantify with data like this.

    3 votes
  7. Kerry56
    Link
    The roads in New Mexico have one interesting trait I'd like to share, as a frequent visitor. They put little warning signs before the vast majority of curves on their mountain roads, telling you...

    The roads in New Mexico have one interesting trait I'd like to share, as a frequent visitor. They put little warning signs before the vast majority of curves on their mountain roads, telling you to slow down to 55 or 45 usually. Most of the time you can ignore these signs and cruise through the curves with no issues, but for approximately 5% of those curves, if you don't slow down, they will scare the peewaddle out of you as you fight to stay on the road. Oh, and try to avoid the potholes. They tend to be deep.

    2 votes
  8. updawg
    Link
    I'm not sure commute time is equivalent to road congestion...

    The nation's least congested roads are found in North Dakota. The average morning commute time there is only 19 minutes, eight minutes shorter than the national average of 27 minutes.

    I'm not sure commute time is equivalent to road congestion...

    2 votes
  9. AAA1374
    Link
    This kind of matches my experience having driven across the country. Some of the areas they label as having bad infrastructure I don't think were as bad as some other areas. But, giving minor...

    This kind of matches my experience having driven across the country. Some of the areas they label as having bad infrastructure I don't think were as bad as some other areas. But, giving minor exceptions where I think some places are honestly only marginally better or worse than the results bore out, I actually think this kind of makes sense.

    Also just fun for me that the places I told people were bad to drive in I can now give them this map and show them they're just wrong.

    1 vote