Illinois Ranks High In 'Best States To Drive In' Report

ACROSS ILLINOIS — Traffic congestion across the U.S. is dreaded by drivers on a daily basis, especially in major cities. The personal finance website WalletHub released its report on 2019's Best & Worst States to Drive in, as it said the country's traffic congestion costs the average driver over $1,400 per year, with the U.S. ranked 10th in the world in road quality. To determine the most driver-friendly states in the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states across 30 key metrics, ranking Illinois second.

The data set ranges from average gas prices to share of rush-hour traffic congestion to road quality.

According to WalletHub, the total score for Illinois in the Best & Worst Driving States list is 61.44, landing the Land of Lincoln in 2nd place out of 50.

Driving in Illinois (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

• 26th - Cost of Ownership & Maintenance
• 35th – Traffic & Infrastructure
• 6th - Safety
• 5th - Access to Vehicles & Maintenance
• 4th - Most Car Washes per Capita
• 4th - Most Auto-Repair Shops per Capita

But what about major cities within the states, such as Chicago? The INRIX 2017 Global Traffic Scorecard used a methodology to provide an evaluation of urban travel, traffic health and vibrancy for over 1,360 cities in 38 countries around the world.

INRIX said Chicago was ranked 22nd overall out of the 1,360 cities analyzed. Illinois was also ranked 8th out of 297 cities in the U.S. and 8th out of 319 cities in North America. According to INRIX, Chicago drivers spent 57 "peak" hours in traffic during 2017, and 10% of driving time spent in congestion.

For the full report, visit wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-drive-in/43012/

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