Looking to go on a road trip with the family this summer? You might want to do some research before you choose your final destination. New information has been released by Wallethub detailing the best and worst American cities to drive in.
The study looked at 100 cities with the densest populations and ranked them by four factors: safety, traffic and infrastructure, access to vehicles/maintenance and cost of ownership.
1. Detroit, Mich.
Though Detroit is synonymous with the automobile industry, this once booming industrial city is actually not a welcoming place for drivers. It ranked second to last in Wallethub’s safety category, which included metrics like rate of care theft, traffic fatality rate and the likelihood of an auto accident. It also was towards the bottom of the list for its infrastructure and traffic.
2. San Francisco, Calif.
The beautiful bay city came in at 99 of 100 on the list. Highway gridlock traffic in the city is reportedly up 80 percent since 2010. San Francisco also rated 92 out of 100 in infrastructure and traffic. Further, it topped the charts for the highest annual hours spent in congestion per auto commuter and the highest gas prices.
3. Oakland, Calif.
Ranked second to last in “cost of ownership and maintenance”, Oakland did not fare much better than its neighbor across the bay. According to SFGate, “lack of available transportation funding to keep the roads in good repair” means that Oakland’s infrastructure is also among the worst in the country. The city also tied with Albuquerque and Detroit for the highest rate of car theft.
4. Philadelphia, Pa.
Compared to the national average, Philly has a staggeringly high number of likely accidents. According to another recent study, Pennsylvania has the 5th highest amount of fatal crashes during the Memorial Day weekend alone. The city also ranks at number four worst city to drive in due to its high cost of ownership, amount of traffic, and low safety ranking.
5. Seattle, Wash.
With a skyrocketing population, the traffic in Seattle has greatly contributed to its ranking as the 5th worst city to drive in. The coastal city also ranked 42nd in access to vehicle maintenance, 88th in traffic and infrastructure, 61st in safety, and 90th in cost of ownership and maintenance.
