North Carolina is one of the best states for driving, study says. Here's why

Jan. 21--Don't scoff, commuters, but North Carolina has been named one of the best states for drivers.

The Tar Heel State offers the third-most "positive driving" experience in the country, the personal finance website WalletHub said in findings released Tuesday.

Those results may come as a surprise to anyone who has sat behind the wheel during rush hour in Charlotte or seen cars weave through lanes on Interstate 40 in the Triangle.

So how did North Carolina become one of the top states for driving?

WalletHub says it scored states based on several factors, including safety, access to cars and congestion on roads.

North Carolina ranked in the top 10 for cost of owning and maintaining a car, a measure that weighs gas prices, insurance premiums and other driving expenses, findings show. The state also had among the most car repair businesses per capita, according to WalletHub.

But North Carolina ranked below average for traffic and infrastructure, a category that analyzes commutes, weather conditions and the quality of roads and bridges, study results show.

The new findings come after Raleigh in September was named the most driver-friendly city in the United States, The News & Observer reported. Charlotte, Greensboro and Winston-Salem also ranked among the top 10.

Overall, WalletHub says Iowa is the best state for drivers, and Hawaii is the worst.

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