By rssfeeds-admin 
The study analyzed data from multiple sources, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to examine 25 factors affecting driver stress levels, from commute times and traffic volumes to insurance costs and road conditions.
Texas is the most stressful state for drivers, scoring 58.25 in this study. The state’s average commute time of 27.3 minutes contributes to this title, with 82.2% of workers driving or carpooling to work. Texas drivers face high amounts of congestion, with an average hourly vehicle traffic of 2,835.24 vehicles per mile of highway. The state also ranks negatively for fatal crashes, with 34.12% involving speeding.
The data was compiled to develop a “Stressful Driving Index”. This index scores each state on a scale of 0-100, with higher scores indicating more stressful driving conditions.
The 10 Most Stressful States for Drivers:
| Rank | State | Stress Score (/100) |
| 1. | Texas | 58.25 |
| 2. | New Jersey | 57.97 |
| 3. | California | 56.85 |
| 4. | Florida | 55.67 |
| 5. | Maryland | 55.35 |
| 6. | Hawaii | 54.99 |
| 7. | Arizona | 53.65 |
| 8. | Louisiana | 51.59 |
| 9. | Missouri | 51.33 |
| 10. | South Carolina | 51.18 |
Factors Contributing to Driving Stress
States with longer commute times typically score higher on the stress index. The average commute time in the top 10 most stressful states of 26.4 minutes is around 27% higher than that of the five least stressful states, which averaged 20.8 minutes.
Traffic volume plays a major role in driving stress. The top three most stressful states (Texas, New Jersey, and California) have an average of 4,519.41 vehicles per mile of highway, more than five times the average found in the five least stressful states, compared to 817.56.
Cost factors also contribute significantly to how driving stress was calculated. Florida drivers pay the highest average insurance premiums at $473, while Missouri drivers spend the most on fuel at $2,005 annually.
Road safety metrics show concerning patterns in high-stress states. New Mexico, which ranks 12th overall, has the highest percentage of fatal crashes involving distracted driving at 42.08%. Rhode Island has the highest percentage of speeding-related fatal crashes at 46.73%.
Least Stressful States for Drivers
| Rank | State | Stress Score (/100) |
| 50. | South Dakota | 31.96 |
| 49. | North Dakota | 34.77 |
| 48. | Alaska | 35.04 |
| 47. | Oregon | 35.93 |
| 46. | Vermont | 36.63 |
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