Q&A with Panos Prevedouros

Q: What are the top aspects that make a state more “driver-friendly”?

Panos Prevedouros: A state or region would be driver-friendly if it garnered average or below average metrics on most of these negative aspects of driving: Traffic congestion, sales tax, gasoline taxes, insurance premium cost, fatal crashes, property damage and theft rates. Many scenic drives on Oahu in Hawaii provide extraordinary driver satisfaction, but traffic fatality rates, car ownership costs and traffic congestion are well above average (i.e., bad), thus, in the long term, Oahu is not a driver friendly place.

Q: How can states reduce the number of traffic fatalities?

Panos Prevedouros: They can do so by focusing on VRUs, the Vulnerable Road Users, such as pedestrians, motorcyclists, bikers and construction workers. Too little attention is paid to their behaviors and risk factors. Who can cite frequent police enforcement of intoxicated pedestrians crossing the road erratically? Motorcyclists without helmets, reckless electric bike riders, and careless pedestrians are often the underlying cause of major injuries or fatalities, but the typical traffic safety focus is still on the motorists. Here’s a typical quote from a TV news coverage of a VRU fatality: “Drugs, alcohol and speeding do not appear to be factors”… The focus is always on the driver and the vehicle!

  *   *   *   *   *

Best & Worst States to Drive in (2026)

from WalletHub, Jan 20, 2026

Everyone hates being stuck in traffic. It makes you late and causes many people’s tempers to flare up. It’s also quite bad for your wallet – in fact, congestion cost the average driver $894 in 2025, thanks to an average of 49 hours spent sitting in traffic. The U.S. also has ten out of the world’s 25 worst cities for traffic, and 19 of the 25 worst in the Americas.

Congestion isn’t the only concern on the road, though. People want to know that they will be driving on safe, well-maintained roads before heading out, and while the U.S. has a fairly good track record, it certainly doesn’t top the list. For example, the World Economic Forum ranks the U.S. 17 out of 141 countries when it comes to road quality.

Road conditions naturally aren’t consistent across the entire country. To identify the states with the best driving conditions, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 31 key indicators of a positive commute. Their data set ranges from average gas prices to rush-hour traffic congestion to road quality.

read … Full Report