Study ranks Texas as 2021's best state to drive in
AUSTIN, Texas - Attention, Texas drivers!
WalletHub ranked Texas as number one in its report on 2021's Best & Worst States to Drive In.
In order to determine which states were driver-friendly, WalletHub compared all 50 across 31 key indicators of cost of ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, safety and access to vehicles and maintenance.
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Texas ranked 16th for the cost of ownership and maintenance, 33rd in traffic and infrastructure, 18th in safety, and second in access to vehicles and maintenance, for a total score of 62.89 out of 100.
Rounding out the top ten were Indiana, North Carolina, Iowa, Tennessee, Kentucky, Maine, Idaho, South Dakota, and Ohio. Hawaii ranked number 50 with a score of 36.42.
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Texas ranked in the top five in a couple of highlighted indicators, including the fewest days with precipitation (5th), more car washes per capita (3rd), and lowest average gas prices (3rd).
According to WalletHub, in 2019, congestion cost U.S. drivers $88 billion and an average of 99 hours of their time. The U.S. also has five out of the world's 25 worst cities for traffic and 19 of the worst 25 in North America.
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The COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders and lockdowns will likely cause congestion numbers in 2020 to be lower overall, as WalletHub says that as of October, cumulative travel on roads in 2020 was almost 14% fewer vehicle miles than the same period in 2019.
WalletHub also noted that road conditions are also a big concern and that the U.S. only ranks 17 out of 141 countries examined as part of the World Economics Forum's 2019 Global Competitiveness Report.