South Dakota One of Best States for Drivers

Just which criteria did South Dakota meet to end up near the top of this list? According to the 2018 Bankrate Best States for Drivers Study, a lot of them. Bankrate analyzed information in seven categories associated with cost, safety, and driving quality, including commute times, road conditions, gas prices, and traffic fatality data.

When they crunched all the statistics South Dakota showed up in 9th place, tied with Vermont.

These are the best states for drivers in the U.S.:

1. North Dakota
2. Iowa
3. Ohio
4. Minnesota
5. Nebraska
6. Indiana
7. Kansas
8. Wyoming
9. South Dakota and Vermont

These are the worst states for drivers:

1. California
2. Hawaii
3. Connecticut
4. New Jersey
5. Washington
6. Maryland
7. Rhode Island
8. Colorado
9. New York
10. Louisiana

Apparently, the Bankrate analysts have never driven down 41st Street on a Friday around the noon hour, or on Louise or Western Avenue- - anytime!

I'm not saying that driving anywhere else in South Dakota is as challenging as it is here, and that, I imagine, is how the state of South Dakota ended up so high on the list. And they weren't analyzing how people drive, just that they do.

Sources: KSFY and Bankrate