Recent Study: Chicago Ranks Eighth-Worst for Drivers Claims

The city of Chicago offers it's citizens only a handful of options for commuting within the city including public transport, walking, driving or carpooling. A majority of the public prefers to drive their own cars. For those who drive their own cars, it might not be very surprising to know that Chicago has been ranked the eighth-worst city for drivers.

Another study conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute has claimed that last year automobile drivers in Chicago have spent an extra 61 hours on road mainly due to congested roads causing gridlock, construction zones obstructing traffic and collisions that hold up the traffic movement for a long time. In this post, our Matt Willens car wreck lawyer will discuss these statistics:

What the study found

The study conducted by WalletHub, a personal finance site, conducted the study for ‘Best and Worst cities to be a driver’, and studied four main categories – road and traffic conditions, safety, driver and car ‘wellness’ and cost of vehicle ownership. The four broad categories further addressed sub-topics like commute time, overall costs, traffic conditions, parking rates, maintenance cost, personal vehicle maintenance costs, insurance rates, car repair costs, gas prices, etc.

• Considering all costs (including those spent on fuel wasted in traffic jams) the city contributes in a large way to the nation’s $1700 spent annually, per household on car expenses.

• When it came to driver safety, traffic fatalities per 100,000 people, enforcement of seatbelt and helmet laws, and strictness of DUI punishments were factors that were considered.

• Surprisingly, the city fared quite well – ranking 32nd for the safest city – where driver safety was concerned.

• What was also surprising was that Chicago also had the twelfth lowest motor fatality rate, considering the amount of time the public spends on the road.

• The study deduced that Chicago was one of the 10 worst cities, with a score of 93 out of 100, making it the eighth worst city to drive in, and the sixth worst for road and traffic conditions.

Looking at the results, it was found that time and money wasting factors pulled down the overall score for the city.

Related Statistics

The study also revealed some more rankings for the various cities in the United States. Out of these, Chicago ranked as given below –

• Chicago ranked the third for the highest parking rates

• The city ranked fourth highest for average commuting time

• The city had the fourth highest automobile maintenance costs.

• Ninth highest average gas prices

• And scored 72nd for the wellness factor for vehicle drivers.

All rankings and ratings notwithstanding, automobile accidents continue to take place causing fatalities and serious injuries. Moreover even though Chicago ranked relatively low on the accident and fatalities factor, car accidents can still occur, and if you ever find yourself in an accident, you seek legal help from a Matthew Willens personal injury.

Medical bills, injury costs, property damage, loss of income, motor vehicle repair bills, etc. are only some of the expenses that would have to bear after a car accident. At Willens Law Offices we want to help and are here to evaluate your claim for free. Call us today at (312) 957-4166 to ensure your right to compensation is protected after an accident.