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Texas is one of the best states to drive in, study says

Out of all 50 U.S. states, the study says Texas is in the seventh best state to drive in overall.

TEXAS, USA — .... look, the headline surprised me just as much as it probably did you.

I'm sure anyone that's ever driven in Texan has a few stories on why they see it as the worst state to be behind the wheel in. But one WalletHub study says the Lone Star State is not as bad as we'd think.

Out of all 50 U.S. states, the study says Texas is the seventh best state to drive in overall. Out of a score of 100, researchers gave Texas almost 60 points.

Iowa has the top spot with 62.61 and Hawaii takes the bottom at 40.28.

So as wild as Texas traffic can be, how does it have a Top 10 spot?

The main factor working in our favor is our wider access to getting and maintaining our vehicles. That category focused on how many car dealerships, auto-repair shops, car washes and more that we have per capita.

For "Access to Vehicles and Maintenance," Texas was given fourth place.

Also, believe it or not, the study says we're one of the top 20 safest states to drive in. That section looked at factors like the strictness of driving laws and punishments, traffic fatalities, and the share of adults who wear seatbelts at least most of the time.

Here's where things start to feel more believable: Texas finishes off the top 10 states with the worst traffic and infrastructure. Researchers looked at each state's rush-hour traffic and average commute time by car in addition to things like road and bridge quality plus the number of days with severe weather.

Recent traffic headlines:

   

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