The District is the second-worst city to drive in nationwide, behind only Philadelphia in a new ranking by WalletHub.
The study ranked 100 cities and considered four key factors: safety, access to cars and car maintenance services, cost of car ownership and maintenance, and traffic and infrastructure. The study considered only the city, leaving out the Washington suburbs.
The District ranked 97th for traffic and infrastructure, and 96th for safety. WalletHub also said the District tied with Baltimore, Boston and Los Angeles for the highest likelihood of getting into a car accident.
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“The numbers are pretty bleak across the board, particularly in terms of traffic and infrastructure. As you are well aware, 98th in average commute time by car, an average of almost 39 minutes,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo told WTOP-FM.
Among the specific metrics WalletHub measured for each of the four key factors, the District had the most uninsured drivers, at about 25%, and the laxest enforcement of DUI laws, according to WTOP.
The city did slightly better for the other two factors, ranking 73rd for cost of car ownership and maintenance and 61st for access to cars and car maintenance.
Philadelphia, which was the worst city for driving, ranked just above the District in terms of traffic and safety, at 96th and 95th, respectively, but ranked 76th for cost and 77th in terms of car and maintenance access.
After Philadelphia and the District, the rest of the bottom 10 cities were Los Angeles, New York City, Detroit, Chicago, Oakland, Seattle, Baltimore and San Francisco.
The 10 best cities for driving were:
• Scottsdale, Arizona
• Boise, Idaho
• Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Lincoln, Nebraska
• Corpus Christi, Texas
• Raleigh, North Carolina
• Lubbock, Texas
• Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky
• Jacksonville, Florida
• Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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