Report: New York Middle of the Pack in Best States for Drivers

New York ranked 26^th of the 50 states in a new comparison of the best and worst states for drivers. Bankrate devised the ranking system using data from the:

• U. S. Census Bureau,
• National Association of Insurance Commissioners
• Oil Price Information Service
• Department of Transportation
• CarMD
• FBI
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

What does the ranking system evaluate?

Bankrate evaluated each state based on:

1. Length of the average commute, in minutes
2. Annual cost of auto insurance
3. Average amount spent on gasoline every year
4. Average car repair costs
5. Rates of car thefts per 100,000 people
6. Number of car fatalities per 100 million miles driven

Bankrate then devised a system in which they assigned a value, from 0 (worst) to 10 (best) for each of the six categories to compare how driver-friendly the states are. The higher the total score, the more driver-friendly the state.

What are the results of the rankings?

Iowa took the prize as the most driver-friendly state, with the high score of 48.  California occupied the bottom spot, with the score of 21. New York had a score of 33.3, right in the middle of the pack at 26^th.

How New York Fared in Accident-related Categories

Average Commute Time: The more miles you are on the road, the greater your opportunity to be in an accident. New Yorkers spend an average of 33.1 minutes per day commuting. This was the longest average commute in the nation, beating out Maryland at 32.6 minutes and New Jersey at 31.3 minutes. The shortest average commute was in North Dakota at 16.6 minutes. The national average was 24.3 minutes.

Fatalities per 100 million miles: New York saw 0.8 fatalities per 100 million miles driven, according to the report. This was lower than the national average of 1.1 fatalities per 100 million miles. The state with the highest car fatalities per 100 million miles was South Carolina, with 1.7. Massachusetts, Vermont and Minnesota tied for the lowest (best) fatality rates, with only 0.6 car fatalities per 100 million miles driven.

Gasoline Spending in New York

Americans spend an average of $1,127 a year on gasoline. New Yorkers happily occupy the top spot in the rankings with lowest amount spent on gasoline, with only $793 per year. In contrast, people in Wyoming, where things are spread out at great distances, spend an average of $1,831 per year on gasoline.

Car Theft Rates in New York

New Yorkers also enjoy car theft rates far below the national average. The national average of car thefts per 100,000 people is 199.6. In New York, the number is only 77.4. Of course, some might argue that gasoline spending and car theft rates are not truly comparable in states like New York where transportation systems are different than other states.

In any event, if you are injured or lose a loved one in a car accident on Long Island, contact Goldstein & Bashner for help. Call 516-874-4362 for a free consultation.