VA Among Best Places To Drive In New Ranking; Do You Agree?

VIRGINIA — A new analysis of federal data suggests Virginia has some of the best drivers in the country — something you may or may not agree with during your daily commute on the Capital Beltway or Interstate 395.

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, Virginia is the 31st worst place in the country to get behind the wheel. To be fair, we’re fighting the 11th-worst traffic congestion anywhere — New Jersey is No. 1 in that category and Maryland is No. 2. The state is No. 33 for the quality of its infrastructure.

Virginia also ranked 22nd in the cost to drive a car, and 32nd in safety. We rank 14th for weather conditions.

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.

Other agencies agree that DC and Northern Virginia drivers face challenges.

A report from Automoblog.com details the grueling aspects of a commute in or around Washington, D.C., where workers travel to and from suburbs in Maryland and Virginia, resulting in rush-hour congestion that can extend more than 50 miles outside of city limits.

On average, drivers in the D.C. metro area spend 35.6 minutes each way heading to and from work, with 18.3 percent commuting over an hour in each direction, the blog said.

Traffic can crawl to a standstill anywhere along I-95, as well as I-395 between the George Washington Parkway and Washington Boulevard.