RICHMOND, Va. -- A new study that analyzed Department of Transportation data found that only 82.26% of Virginia's roads are of acceptable quality.' And that could be costing you money on car repairs.
Read about how road conditions cost you money:
Local News
Study: Richmond road conditions cost you about $596 a year
Personal Injury lawfirm 'Suzuki Law Offices' analyzed highway statistics data for 2022 from the U.S. Department of Transportation to determine the percentage of highway miles in each state are deemed to be of an acceptable quality for drivers. That is determined by looking at how smooth the road surfaces were.
Virginia ranked 22nd overall for road conditions in the study. Of the more than 19,000 road miles that were looked at under 16,000 miles of the road was deemed to be in acceptable condition.'
Those conditions could lead to more money being spent on car maintenance or make it more dangerous to be out on the roads.
“This study highlights the current state of America’s roads and why drivers should be mindful when traveling at speed," wrote Richard Suzuki of the Suzuki Law Offices on the study. "As well as damaging vehicles, uneven road surfaces can also increase the chance of traffic accidents for both drivers and cyclists."
The United States as a whole also fared poorly in the study. More than 786,000 miles of roads were looked at nationwide by the Department of Transportation. Of those miles only around 642,000 miles were found to be of acceptable condition.'
“It would be beneficial to keep an eye on these statistics to see whether any changes are made to the road quality as issues become more apparent, especially as additional traffic in the busier seasons and extreme weather affects them further," Suzuki continued.
Hawaii was the state that came in with the worst road conditions. The study found only 61.32% of the state's roads were acceptable for drivers. And 168.30 miles were found to be in 'poor quality' or worse.
Here are the top five states for worst road quality according to the study:
- Hawaii- 61.32% of roads considered acceptable for drivers
- Rhode Island- 62.76% of roads considered acceptable for drivers
- New Mexico- 66.81% of roads considered acceptable for drivers
- Connecticut- 66.85% of roads considered acceptable for drivers
- Mississippi- 69.96% of roads considered acceptable for drivers
These states came in with the best road conditions according to the study:
- Alabama- 98.25% of roads are acceptable for drivers
- Indiana- 96.98% of roads are acceptable for drivers
- Wyoming- 95.78% of roads are acceptable for drivers
- Kansas- 95.65% of roads are acceptable for drivers
- Idaho- 95.45% of roads are acceptable for drivers
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
