Phoenix Named One of the Best Cities for Drivers

Phoenix truly is a good place to be a driver. Well, compared to everywhere else.

Yet another look at driving-related statistics has placed Phoenix among the top American cities to drive.

See also:
–Phoenix Traffic Still the Lightest Among America’s Biggest Cities

The latest analysis comes from the personal-finance website NerdWallet, which developed its ranking using the following measures: annual hours of commuter delay, population density, gas prices, insurance premiums, and rainy days per year. (It seems like cheating to include rainy days, but it really wouldn’t affect Phoenix’s ranking much.)

Phoenix ranked fourth, behind Albuquerque, Tucson, and El Paso.

Phoenix’s high ranking is no surprise. Insurance industry data have shows Phoenix is the safest big city city in the country for drivers, based on crash statistics.

GPS data have also shown that Phoenix has the lightest traffic of any big city in America.

If you’ve spent a decent amount of time driving around the country, then you already know that the road quality here is well above average.

The only gripe we have with this list is Tucson’s ranking. While Tucson did well in these measures, it’s been reported many times — and should be no secret to anyone who drives around Tucson — that the physical conditions of many of the roads in the city are poor. Several years ago, the local paper reported that 13 percent of the roads were “in such bad condition that repaving in not an option.”

The website also released a list of the worst cities for drivers, with no surprises: New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and the rest of the usual suspects were all called out.

Got a tip? Send it to: Matthew Hendley.

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Follow Matthew Hendley at @MatthewHendley.