While it’s never been a secret that, among the residents of the DMV area, many consider Maryland drivers to be the worst in the region.
Now, that’s not to say that all drivers from Maryland are bad, but many residents claim to notice a correlation between poor driving and the Maryland license plate.
Unfortunately for Marylanders who have been trying to overcome this unfortunate stigma, a new study was just released that officially ranks the state as one of the top-5 worst states to drive in.
Where does Maryland rank among the worst states to drive in?
According to a WalletHub study, Maryland ranks #46 out of all 50 states in the best states to drive in.
In other words, Maryland is officially the fifth-worst state in the nation to drive!
In terms of the study’s metrics, Maryland’s were as follows:
- Overall rank – #46 out of all 50 states
- Total Score (out of 100) – 49.71
- Cost of Ownership & Maintenance Rank – #31
- Traffic & Infrastructure Rank – #50 (Dead Last!)
- Safety Rank – #37
- Access to Vehicles & Maintenance Rank – #21
The study also found that Maryland had the second-worst % of rush-hour traffic congestion in the nation!
What was this study’s methodology?
The ranking was calculated through a total score that was calculated via over 30 variables across 4 unique dimensions.
The full weight of each metric composing the total score were as follows:
Cost of Ownership & Maintenance – Total Points: 30
- Average Gas Prices: Triple Weight (~12.86 Points)
- Average Annual Car Insurance Premium: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)
- Auto-Maintenance Costs: Double Weight (~8.57 Points)
- Total Extra Vehicle Operating Costs per Driver: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)
Note: Additional vehicle operating costs (VOC) are the “result of driving on roads in need of repair, lost time and fuel due to congestion-related delays, and the costs of traffic crashes in which roadway features likely were a contributing factor,” according to transportation research firm TRIP.
Traffic & Infrastructure – Total Points: 30
- Share of Rush-Hour Traffic Congestion – 6.00 Points
- Increase in Vehicle Travel on Highways (2025 vs. 2000) – 1.50 Points
- Number of Days with Precipitation – 3.00 Points
- Number of Icy Days – 3.00 Points
- Number of Strong Wind & Hail Storms Reports – 3.00 Points
- Average Commute Time by Car (in Minutes) – 6.00 Points
- Road Quality – 3.00 Points
- Bridge Quality – 1.50 Points
- Roadway Miles per 1,000 Persons – 3.00 Points
Safety – Total Points: 30
- Traffic Indiscipline – 2.73 Points
- Share of Adults Who Always or Nearly Always Wear a Seatbelt – 2.73 Points
- Traffic Fatality Rate – 2.73 Points
- Change in Traffic Fatality Rate (2023 vs. 2022) – 2.73 Points
- Car Theft Rate – 2.73 Points
- Larceny Rate – 2.73 Points
- Strictness of DUI Punishment – 1.36 Points
- Strictness of High-Risk Driving – 2.73 Points
- Driving-Laws Rating – 1.36 Points
- Share of Uninsured Drivers – 2.73 Points
- Likelihood of Collision with Animals – 2.73 Points
- Animal Loss Claims per Total Number of Drivers – 2.73 Points
Access to Vehicles & Maintenance – Total Points: 10
- Car Dealerships per Capita – 1.67 Points
- Auto-Repair Shops per Capita – 1.67 Points
- Car Washes per Capita – 1.67 Points
- Gas Stations per Capita – 1.67 Points
- Alternative Fuel Stations per Capita – 1.67 Points
- Parking Lots and Garages per Capita – 1.67 Points