WalletHub Study Finds Washington is Third Worst State to Drive in Nation
Whats the worst state to drive in – Washington is one of the nation’s worst, according to a new study released by WalletHub this week. In 2021, Washington is ranked the third-worst state for drivers based on a range of factors and data gathered from agencies, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Insurance Research Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The state has ranked between dead last to third worst in recent years. This year’s worst state to drive in the nation goes to Hawaii, with California falling into the second to worst state to drive. By contrast, Texas ranked as the best state to drive in the nation.
WalletHub study finds Washington Third Worst state to Drive in Nation
The study looked at range of factors under four key categories:
- The cost of car ownership and maintenance
- Traffic and infrastructure
- Safety
- Access to vehicles and maintenance
From there, the categories were broken down into 31 sub-categories that included gas prices, rush-hour traffic congestion, the condition of roads, car theft rate, number of days with rain, and the change in traffic fatality rate. The main factors that pushed Washington down the list were high gas prices (third-highest in the nation), high rates of car theft (ninth highest in the country), poor overall road quality (eighth worst in the nation), traffic congestion (ranks below average) and auto-maintenance costs (ranks below average). Another study found that congestion in the Puget Sound area ranked ninth worst in North America and 26th worst in the world, almost certainly contributing to a low score in positive driving experience for Washington State drivers. The report points out that apart from the headache and lost time that it causes, congestion costs the average driver over $1,400 per year in the U.S.
On the bright side, Washington ranked above average for overall safety, the number of auto repair shops per capita and the number of car dealerships per capita.
Washington State car accident statistics
There are approximately 5 million motor vehicle accidents in the United States each year. The good news is that fatal car accidents have been declining but we still lost about 37,000 people to car accidents each year. An additional 2 million people are injured in traffic accidents each year.
Washington State traffic accidents have also been on a decline in recent years, on average, except for 2014 and 2016. According to data from the NHTSA, in 2014 there were 107,683 accidents reported across the state and 122,396 in 2016. The numbers dropped to 111,455 in 2019. This was partly because of a decline in teen car accidents that went from 16,474 in 2018 to 15,383 in 2019. At least 7,390 of these traffic collisions involved drivers who were under the influence of drugs or alcohol while 667 accidents were caused by distracted driving; drowsy driving accounted for 62 collisions.
Seek the help of a car accident attorney
If you or a loved one was injured because of the negligence of another, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal rights. Let an experienced car accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a lawyer. Call the personal injury lawyers at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
