New Study Ranks Raleigh as the Best City for Drivers, and Detroit as the Worst
All you wanted to do was enjoy a peaceful gripe session about last night’s annoying commute. But that one annoying guy just had to chime in: “Oh, so you think you have it bad? The traffic in this city is nothing. Why, back when I lived in [fill in the city], I spent three years of my life stuck in traffic jams and they went on for miles and miles and it was the worst thing ever, etc., etc.”
Well, WalletHub just conducted an extensive study of 2018’s best and worst cities to drive in, so the next time that guy butts in, you’ll have all the ammunition you need to prove him wrong and shut him up … or to slink away quietly because you know he’s right.
Anyway, WalletHub ranked the 100 largest cities in the United States, and the best one to drive in is Raleigh, North Carolina, followed closely by Corpus Christi, Texas. The worst city? Detroit, with San Francisco just missing out on the (dis)honor.
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How did WalletHub come up with its ranking? It collected data on 29 important indicators of driving quality, assigned each a different weight, and split them into four major categories. A city’s overall score in these four categories determines its final ranking.
The “cost of ownership and maintenance” category covers indicators like average gas prices, the cost of a new car, and average annual insurance premiums. The “traffic and infrastructure” category takes into account factors like annual hours spent in congestion, quality of roads and bridges, and average commute time. The “safety” category includes indicators like the city’s traffic fatality rate and car theft rate. The “access to vehicles and maintenance” category gathers factors like car dealerships per capita and parking lots/garages per capita.
Head here to learn more about the study and take a look at the full list and some of the individual category breakdowns.
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News Source: WalletHub
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