A new study has revealed the best and worst states to drive in for 2023 based on factors like congestion, road quality, and safety.

Even though traffic fatalities in the United States recently declined, our roads remain dangerous and cause serious frustration for many drivers, but the experience is quite different depending on where you live.

According to a new study by WalletHub, Iowa emerged as the best state for driving in the country, with a total score of 62.61. At the other end of the spectrum, Hawaii came dead last based on its results across all categories, with a score of 40.28. Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, and North Carolina rounded out the top five positions for being the best states to drive in.

Truck-loving Texas, where the Ford F-150 often emerges as the top-selling vehicle, just missed out on the top five, ranking seventh. Idaho came in sixth overall, while Tennessee, Kansas, and Indiana rounded out the top ten spots.

After Hawaii, the worst states for driving are Washington, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Maryland. In New York, where a congestion charge has been proposed for entering Manhattan, the state ranks 32nd out of 50 states. Rush-hour congestion was found to be worst in California, followed by Maryland and New Jersey.

California also ranked poorly for gas prices but experienced the fewest days of precipitation, so drivers are less affected by bad weather when out on its roads.

In total, the study compared the 50 states based on 31 key indicators that are relevant to a positive or negative commuting experience. That includes the car theft rate, where Colorado, New Mexico, California, and Missouri were worst, and Vermont and Maine were least affected. Michigan, the location of several car thefts from manufacturer plants in recent months, ranked 31st for safety.

Different weightings were applied to different categories. For example, traffic and infrastructure were understandably worth more points than access to vehicles and maintenance.

With congestion costing the average US driver $869 in wasted time in 2022, driving in certain states remains a stressful undertaking, but some parts of the country are clearly worse off than others.