Arizona falls in the middle of worst states for drivers, ranked No. 24

PHOENIX — Next time you complain about Arizona road conditions or gas prices, just remember — it could be worse.

A personal finance website ranked the state No. 24 in a list of worst states for drivers, putting it almost right in the middle.

Bankrate compared all 50 states based on seven indicators related to cost of driving, safety and driving quality using government data.

“The reason Arizona came in at the top half is because it’s a good place for cost, it’s fairly good for driving quality, but where it falls down is safety,” Adrian Garcia, Bankrate data analyst, told KTAR News 92.3 FM last week.

He said Arizona’s number of traffic fatalities were higher than the national average in 2016, as well as the number of vehicle thefts.

But, he said, Arizona does a good job of taking care of its roads — only 14 percent of the state’s roads are in “poor condition” compared to the national average of 22 percent.

California is the worst place for drivers, just behind Hawaii and Connecticut.

— Bankrate (@Bankrate) December 7, 2018

Drivers in Arizona pay less for repair costs, car insurance and gas than the national average and fare well when it comes to commuting.

“Arizona’s commute is on par with the national. It’s about a minute under at 25 minutes on average how long it’s taking people to get to work,” Garcia said.

The worst states for drivers were California, Hawaii, Connecticut, New Jersey and Washington.

The best states for drivers were North Dakota, Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota and Nebraska.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Ashley Flood contributed to this report. 

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