Watch CBS News

How's Your Commute? Michigan's Not At The Top

DETROIT (WWJ) How's your drive this morning?

Michigan ranks 21st of the 50 states for driving on a new survey by Bankrate.com that ranked the best and worst U.S.. cities for commuters. Drivers who spoke to WWJ aren't surprised at Michigan's ranking.

"I've been here 12 years right in the Detroit area and it's getting worse," one driver told WWJ.

Another looked on the bright side: "It could be much worse," he said.

Tony Hide, who previously lived in Florida, said "I've seen much worse than Michigan."

Construction weighed heavily some commuters, one who told WWJ's Ron Dewey it seems the state is always a "work in progress."

Bob Eighter said he pays $1,100 bucks a year to insure his 18-year-old son and his truck has been "beaten to death" by Michigan's potholes.

It's worth noting, though, that the cities that did best on the survey are those with low population density. Fewer people equals fewer problems on the road.

Bankrate looked at road conditions, auto insurance rates, commute times and crashes to come up with the ranking.

They say the worst for drivers is Louisiana, followed by California, Texas, Maryland and New Jersey.

The best states were Idaho, Vermont, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

In Louisiana, drivers face a 24.7-minute commute, $1,279.42 insurance premium, $1,017.10 gas expenditure, $426.25 repair bill, 198 car thefts and 1.5 fatal crashes.

"Premiums in Louisiana are the highest in the country and almost 40 percent higher than the U.S. average," the study found. "Drivers in the state are more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than the typical American and they spend more time in the car commuting."

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.