2019's Best (& Worst) States To Drive In According to WalletHub

Driving is a quintessential part of the American experience - and as it turns out residents in some states are better at it than others. At least, that's what a new study from the folks over at WalletHub tells us. 

To learn more about America's driving habits, WalletHub looking at all 50 states with four things in mind: 1) Cost of Ownership & Maintenance, 2) Traffic & Infrastructure, 3) Safety, and 4) Access to Vehicles & Maintenance. The study broke those four categories down into thirty metrics including things like the average price of gas, rush-hour traffic congestion and the traffic fatality rate. 

Surprisingly, the Aloha spirit seems to be missing from Hawaii's highways - they were given the dubious honor of having some of the worst drivers in the United States. Factors for the poor showing by Hawaii's drivers included the facts that the state ranks dead last for Cost of Ownership & Maintenance, second most days of precipitation, second fewest auto-repair shops per capita, and the second fewest car washes per capita. Coupled those factors with the fact that Hawaii often has the highest gas prices in the nation, you can see how driving in paradise can be a miserable experience. 

Rounding out the top five states with the worst drivers were Alaska, Washington, California and New Hampshire. 

On the other hand, drivers in Oregon aren't that stressed behind the wheel. Residents have the good fortune of having the lowest auto-maintenance costs in the country and lots of scenic drives. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Texas are also home to some of the better drivers in the country. 

Residents across the Midwest can look forward to peaceful drive, while drivers near the coasts are more likely to spend more time sitting in traffic, something that can cost the average driver $1,400 per year. 

Here are the top ten states for driving:

1. Oregon
2. Illinois
3. Indiana
4. Iowa
5. Texas
6. North Carolina
7. Georgia
8. Arkansas
9. Nebraska
10. Ohio

And these are the top ten worst states for drivers:

1. Hawaii
2. Alaska
3. Washington
4. California
5. New Hampshire
6. Rhode Island
7. Massachusetts
8. Wyoming
9. New Jersey
10. Maryland

Michael Gravier, a professor at Bryant University says states can't do much more to reduce traffic fatalities besides investing in infrastructure and keeping the quality of roads and bridges high. 

"The elephant in the room is that the biggest cause of fatalities is human judgment, so that leaves removing the human as the last frontier to eliminate traffic fatalities," said Gravier. "The technology isn’t quite there, but one day transportation will mostly become a commoditized service much like the water and electricity that are now commonplace in our homes."

In the meantime, Gravier says, the best thing we can do as individuals on the road is to hold yourself accountable in maintaining good driving habits, adding that while smartphones can be distracting to drivers on the road, failing to use your turn signal is more likely to cause your next accident. 

"My prediction: more technologies on cars will make it easier for insurance companies to charge on individual risk factors, and your personal driving habits will become increasingly monitored and your insurance rates set accordingly," Gravier says. 

Photo: WalletHub & Getty Images