All things considered, what is the best US State for motorists?

"MegaSuper" (megasuper)
04/12/2015 at 16:21 • Filed to: None

I've seen people argue about this on other websites, but never really seen a deep discussion about it on here.

So all things considered, costs, roads, laws, etc, what do you think?

(Warning: A combination of facts, hearsay, and speculation lie ahead. Feel free to correct me if you live in any of the places below/have experiences that contradict what I've read/heard/found)

For example, depending on which study you read, Vermont and/or Fort Collins, Colorado have the safest drivers:

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Maine has the lowest car insurance rates:

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Then you have other places; speeding is a bad idea, but in Virginia it's a very, very bad idea:

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Then California is well-known for its legendary driving roads, but gasoline is expensive and they have their own emissions requirements that are more strict than Federal ones, so that makes importing 25+ year old cars from other countries nigh-impossible, and can even make it impossible to bring cars from out-of-state if you can't find the right parts to make them CA smog-compliant. (I also think California is the only state where a red-light camera is a fine AND a point on your license)

Then there's Texas, with their 85mph highway…which apparently has wild hogs running across it at times or something.

Utah and Idaho then have the next-highest speed limits, perhaps some others.

Red-light cameras are illegal Michigan-wide AFAIK. But is it really true that in some parts of the state, people will key your car if it isn't American? I've heard that before.

Hawaii is gorgeous but the maximum speed limit anywhere is 60mph, gas is the most expensive afaik. Etc etc etc…

(I should point out, before anyone else mentions it, that Montana stopped having derestricted highways/"The Ameribahn" a long time ago.)

Anyways, I turn it over to you now Oppo!

DISCUSSION (9)

TheHondaBro > MegaSuper
04/12/2015 at 16:26

Oregon has high insurance rates, only because it's the only state in the US that doesn't salt the roads when it snows. If you stay out of Portland, it's got some great drivers.

f86sabre > MegaSuper
04/12/2015 at 16:47

Montana. Good mountain roads and driver friendly speed limit laws.

Justin Hughes > MegaSuper
04/12/2015 at 17:02

I would exclude anything in New England, being a native myself. There are some great roads, particularly in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, but being northern states they're not always in very good condition. Plus speed limits can be a bit lower than one might prefer.

LongbowMkII > MegaSuper
04/12/2015 at 17:42

Kentucky has some beautiful low speed roads. Single lane highways make you feel like the last driver on earth. That is until you arent, but people are generally quite generous about space. Road quality can be hit(smooth, curvy, sparsely populated highways are nice) or miss so avoid exploring while hellaflush. Haven't heard any banjo music, even in the east....

wiffleballtony > MegaSuper
04/12/2015 at 18:17

Arizona is nice in that you can run summer tires year round. while the speed limits are the standard in County most cops won't bother until you're ten over at least. Gas is cheapish. The only real downside is that most of areas are in a grid, not many twisties.

gamefreak32 > f86sabre
04/12/2015 at 18:21

Also lax enforcement of speed limits. Mostly due to low population density and fewer officers. There is still quite a bit of bitterness over the return of speed limits and long time residents still seem to despise them, so there are still some officers that won't ticket for it.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > MegaSuper
04/12/2015 at 18:24

I've debated this quite a bit, but haven't seen a proper comparison.

Oregon is the Liberia of registration and has zero sales tax, meaning the price is the sticker price. I assume registration is fairly cheap, but I could be wrong. The road maintenance is excellent, along with many great driving roads. One major downside is that you cannot pump your own gas (seriously). Apparently no smog checks outside Portland and Medford.

Wyoming has low taxes, no smog checks, no safety checks, low traffic (low population), some nice roads (but not universally-excellent upkeep), etc. Downside is snow, cold, altitude, lack of job options, etc. Montana is similar, but I think WY beats it by a small margin.

I suspect OK, KS, and a few others in that region are also decent. FL and TX seem popular, but I can't see roads being fun in either state.

this is not matt farah's foxbodymiata > MegaSuper
04/12/2015 at 19:27

I'm pretty sure Washington's only emissions test is an OBDII reader, no inspection at all. If you get out of the city, the roads are beautiful, deserted, and pretty well paved. We have very little rust on the west side of the Cascades, because it pretty much never snows and definitely doesn't get icy.

Oh, and no points for speeding.

xmanguy > this is not matt farah's foxbodymiata
04/12/2015 at 20:32

Well, there is the tailpipe test for car without OBDII, but I don't know how well they work since my Miata passed with a failing catalytic converter. But all the other stuff you said, all true. It's pretty great here.