This Is the No. 1 U.S. State for a Road Trip Thanks to Its Safety, Low Congestion, and Pancake-flat Highways

Travel + Leisure

9 hours ago

If you love a good road trip, then chances are you're always plotting out your next route and all the exciting things you get to pull over and see along the way. But before you go, you should know that some states are better than others to drive through on your getaway. And if you hate traffic, you may want to stay on the mainland.
In January, WalletHub released its data analyzing the best and worst states to drive through in the U.S. To figure out which states have the best commuting conditions, it compared all states across four key metrics: the cost of owning and maintaining a car (which included the average price of gas), the average traffic patterns and infrastructure, road safety, and access to vehicles. Each metric was then graded on a 100-point scale, and each state was given a weighted average to calculate its overall score.
After looking at all that information, it named Kansas the best state for driving. "Kansas is the best state for drivers, due in large part to the quality and safety of its roads," the findings stated. It added that the state also scored the third-highest for road quality in the U.S. and added that the roads are 'flatter than a pancake' for added safety.
"Kansas has the sixth-most roadway miles per capita in the country, yet its residents enjoy the seventh-lowest average commute time by car, at just over 20 minutes," it added. "That suggests that while the population may be spread out, people tend to live close to their jobs and don't get stuck in traffic often. Since Kansas has a small population and lots of farmland, it makes sense that it has the seventh-lowest traffic congestion rate, too."
Joining Kansas at the top of the list is Idaho in second due to the "success it's had in decreasing deaths on the road. Between 2021 and 2022 (the most recent years for which data is available), the state's traffic fatality rate decreased by nearly 20 percent, the highest percentage in the country," the findings stated. Idaho also has the fifth-lowest prevalence of speeding and the fourth-lowest prevalence of harsh braking, making it a pretty safe place for driving.
And rounding out the top three spots is Indiana, which has the second-best road quality and the ninth-lowest traffic congestion in the nation. "It also takes road safety very seriously, with the fourth-strictest driving laws. These factors have helped improve driving conditions in the state, with traffic fatalities declining by nearly 17 percent between 2021 and 2022, the third-highest percentage," WalletHub noted.
As for where you may want to avoid driving, Hawaii came in last due to its frequent rain, few maintenance shops, and high gas prices. But, if you're driving around in Hawaii, odds are your vacation is still going pretty well anyway. See all the results at wallethub.com.