No Matter How Much We Complain, Wyoming Is Great for Driving
Not a day goes by, especially in the winter months, were Wyomingites don't complain about drivers and/or driving conditions.
Normally speaking, there is good reason for complaining about both, but compared to majority of the rest of the country, the Equality State is a pretty great to drive in.
A new study conducted by personal finance website, WalletHub, listed the "Best & Worst States to Drive in (2024)" and Wyoming is the fifteen. As a matter of fact, we ranked 13th overall, beating Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana and South Dakota. Out of the surrounding states, only Nebraska scored higher (12th overall).
The WalletHub stated:
Everyone hates being stuck in traffic. It makes you late, and causes many people’s tempers to flare up. It’s also quite bad for your wallet – in fact, congestion cost the average driver $869 in 2022, thanks to an average of 51 hours spent sitting in traffic. The U.S. also has eight out of the world’s 25 worst cities for traffic, and 19 of the worst 25 in North America.
Congestion isn’t the only concern on the road, though. People want to know that they will be driving on safe, well-maintained roads before heading out, and while the U.S. has a fairly good track record, it certainly doesn’t top the list. For example, the World Economic Forum ranks the U.S. 17 out of 141 countries when it comes to road quality.
Some of the key metrics for Wyoming include:
- Cost of Ownership & Maintenance Rank - 11th
- Traffic & Infrastructure Rank - 8th
- Safety Rank - 37th
- Access to Vehicles & Maintenance Rank - 48th
As you can see from the study, the Cowboy State ranked very high in some metrics, but near the bottom for others. Even so, compared to states like California, New York and our neighbors to the south (Colorado), we're leaps and bounds above them.