(The Center Square) – It seems only fitting that a place nicknamed the Crossroads of America happens to be one of the best states for drivers. That’s according to a study recently released by WalletHub.
The personal financial services site ranked Indiana third nationally for its Best and Worst States to Drive in this year. Analysts reviewed 31 data points that help determine which states are the friendliest to commuters.
Indiana earned several high marks, with the state having the nation’s second-best roads and the third-steepest decline in traffic deaths, a 17% drop from 2021 to 2022, the study found.
Indiana’s other top driver friendly rankings include having the seventh-lowest auto insurance rates, the 10th-highest number of gas stations per capita and the 15th-cheapest costs for drivers to maintain their vehicles.
Traffic also does not seem to be a problem, as the study found Indiana drivers face the ninth-lowest congestion.
The INRIX 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard found that the average American spent 43 hours in traffic jams last year, more than a regular work week. Spending time in gridlock costs the average American $771 in lost time and productivity.
Several Indiana communities reported significantly fewer hours lost per person. Fort Wayne drivers lost 13 hours in 2024, which cost them $233. On the other end of Interstate 69, Evansville drivers spent just 11 hours stuck in traffic at a cost of $197.
By contrast, Chicago drivers wasted 102 hours behind the wheel last year, which cost them more than $1,800.
Experts say drivers can reduce their driving expenses by choosing to buy a used car rather than a new one.
“Cars typically lose at least 20% of their value in the first year and 40%-50% after three years,” said Elizabeth Deakin, a professor emerita of city and regional planning and urban design at the University of California at Berkeley. “A good used car can be a good deal.”
Indiana outranked all of its neighbors in the WalletHub study. Ohio finished eighth, and Illinois came in 16th. Kentucky was 30th, and Michigan came in 34th.
The top state overall was Kansas, with Hawaii ranked last.