Connecticut is a great place for pizza lovers. For drivers, it ranks in the bottom third of states in a new report that examines several factors.
The report by Bankrate.com analyzed data on fatal crashes, car thefts, average commute times, the price of gasoline, repair costs and insurance premiums. The overall result: Connecticut came out No. 35.
The worst five states were, in order starting with No. 50, Louisiana, California, Texas, Maryland and New Jersey.
The best five were Idaho, No. 1, followed by Vermont, Wyoming, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
“Population density has a big effect on these rankings, said Chris Kahn, research and statistics analyst at Bankrate.com. “The best states for drivers have lots of wide-open spaces, whereas the worst states tend to be filled with people and cars — a bad combination for drivers’ wallets.”
Connecticut has a population density of 740 people per square mile, compared with 20 for Idaho, according to the U.S. Census.
Louisiana had only 105 people per square mile, but sank to the bottom of the list because of high car insurance costs and an above average fatal crash rate.
Here’s how Connecticut stacked up on each category examined, with national averages in parentheses: fatal car crashes, 255 in 2013, or 0.88 per 100 million miles driven (1.11); car thefts: 6,222 in 2013, or 173 per 100,000 people (221); average car repair cost in 2014, $437 ($390); annual gas spending in 2014, $950 (949); 5-year average insurance premium, $1,062 ($911); average commute each way in minutes, 24.1 (24.4).
