Traffic & Transit
MD Among Worst Places To Drive In New Ranking; Do You Agree?
From nightmare traffic congestion to lousy infrastructure and dicey weather, Maryland is one of the worst states to drive in, a report says.
MARYLAND — An analysis of federal data suggests Maryland has some of the worst drivers in the country — something you may or may not agree with during your daily commute on the Capital Beltway, Interstate 695 or I-95.
The personal finance website MoneyGeek used data from the Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Census Bureau, FBI and other sources to rank the states with the best and worst driving experiences. The data was sorted into five categories: congestion, costs (including gas and insurance), infrastructure, safety, and weather.
By that measure, Maryland is the fifth worst place in the country to get behind the wheel. To be fair, we’re fighting the second-worst traffic congestion anywhere after New Jersey. The state is No. 13 for lousy infrastructure.
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Maryland also ranked fourth in the cost to drive a car, but overall, most other states have far-worse safety ratings. We rank 43rd there, and catch a bit of break from weather, ranking 22nd.
Behind New Jersey, rounding out the five worst states for driving are California, West Virginia, Mississippi and Maryland, respectively. The best states to drive in are in the Midwest: Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas, respectively.
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Other agencies agree that Maryland drivers face a miserable fate.
A report from the National Transportation Research non-profit TRIP released in May calculated how much money and gas drivers waste sitting in traffic. The report shows that between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Maryland loses $5.8 billion dollars a year.
The "Keep Maryland Mobile" report said each year from sitting in traffic congestion, Maryland drivers waste anywhere from 22 to 39 gallons of gas and lose between 59 to 99 hours during the slow commute, CBS reported.
Drivers face the worst congestion on the I-695 outer loop at Cromwell Bridge Road, the I-695 inner loop from Stevenson Road to I-83, the inner loop from I-95 to Route 40, and I-895 at the Harbor Tunnel.
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