Transport

Surprise! Mass. is a terrible place to drive, according to new study

The study ranks Mass. as No. 45 among U.S. states, making it the worst in New England.

By Adora Brown

January 19, 2024

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A new study ranks Mass. as one of the worst states to drive in.

The good news? We’re not the worst. Mass. ranked right above California, a state notorious for its traffic, but below every other New England state when it comes to driveability. 

The study, conducted by WalletHub, used 31 different indicators to determine the driveability of every U.S. state. Factors included average gas prices, share of adults who wear a seatbelt, and average commute time by car. 

Based on these indicators, Mass. landed itself at 45 out of all 50 states. Trailing below are California, West Virginia, Delaware, Washington, and Hawaii (in that order). 

The top ten slots are dominated by rural states with low rush hour congestion rates and lower gas prices. WalletHub also identifies safety as an important component, including factors like the rate of vehicle theft and larceny. 

On the podium for top three best states to drive in are Iowa, then Georgia, followed by Kansas.

Not only are these states less congested, but they have lower gas and car prices, fewer traffic fatality rates, and a shorter average commute. WalletHub even points out that Georgia has cracked down on Driving Under the Influence (DUI), with the second-strictest laws in the nation. 

But what is dragging Mass. down? 

The state ranks relatively high in safety (No. 4) and access to vehicles and maintenance (No. 8). Most detrimental to Mass.’s driveability are traffic and cost of ownership. 

Mass. barely escapes last place in the traffic category, only beating out Maryland. But according to a report by INRIX, Boston alone has the fourth worst traffic in the world. Bostonians, on average, lost 134 hours of valuable time stuck in traffic in 2022, according to that report. 

All of this data has significant implications in regards to safety and sustainability. 

According to the city of Boston, the percentage of people driving alone to work in the city has hovered around 38% for more than a decade. Slightly below, at around 33%, are people who take public transportation for their commute. 

While increasing public transportation use could alleviate some of Boston’s traffic congestion, the MBTA has undergone many changes over the years. Recent and ongoing construction to the Red, Green, and Orange lines have been a part of an ongoing $9.6 billion plan to transform the T. 

Mayor Michelle Wu’s office has a current goal of reducing the percentage of commuters driving alone by 50% by 2030. According to the Go Boston 2030 plan, shifting the main mode of transportation away from driving can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and costs.