New Jersey Named Among 2021's Worst States To Drive In

NEW JERSEY — It comes as no surprise to Jersey drivers that the Garden State ranked as one of the worst states in the country to drive in for 2021, according to a study by WalletHub.

"Everyone hates being stuck in traffic. It makes you late and causes many people’s tempers to flare up. But it’s also quite bad for your wallet – in fact, congestion cost U.S. drivers $88 billion in 2019, as well as an average of 99 hours of their time. The U.S. also has five out of the world’s 25 worst cities for traffic, and 19 of the worst 25 in North America," according to WalletHub.

The personal finance website ranked all 50 states from best to worst for drivers based on four key factors — Cost of Ownership and Maintenance, Traffic and Infrastructure, Safety and, Access to Vehicles and Maintenance.

New Jersey ranked pretty poorly at number 42 out of 50, and that doesn't even take into account many Jersey drivers' attitudes and aggressive nature when driving.

The main contributing factor in Jersey's low ranking can be linked to its percentage in rush-hour traffic congestion. New Jersey ranked as the third-worst in the county at number 48.

New Jersey also didn't rank too well in the cost of ownership and maintenance category coming in at number 44. This category looks at the state's average gas prices, the average annual car insurance premium, auto-maintenance costs, and the total extra vehicle operating costs per driver.

In the safety, and access to vehicles and maintenance categories, New Jersey ranked pretty well. In fact, New Jersey came in as the fourth-best state to find a car wash.

Overall the best state to drive in is apparently Texas and the worst being Hawaii.

To see WalletHub's full list of best to worst driving states click here.

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