Alabama - safe state for driving wins top ten listing
Scott Trimble spends a lot of time on Alabama's roads, teaching students at Muscle Shoals High School the rules of driving.
"I've been at it since 1994, and drivers have gotten worse, much worse, because of all the distractions - cell phones and texting," he said. "They're just so inexperienced because parents don't work with them as much as they used to."
Because of his experiences on the road and around young drivers, Trimble said he was surprised at the findings of a recent study by Automobile magazine that places Alabama in the top 10 states considered best for drivers.
"Well, it is hard to believe, but maybe we just take what we have for granted," he said.
"I've driven in other states, and they were pretty bad, so maybe it is true."
In the January 2010 issue, researchers at Automobile surveyed each of the states on the cost, harassment and aggravation of driving. The report involved an in-depth look at how much it costs to renew a driver's license, for instance, how many police officers there are per mile of paved road, the number of toll roads and general traffic conditions.
Once the data were compiled, the numbers were computed with a formula to quantify the pain of driving in each state.
"Adding (cost, aggravation and harassment numbers) together gave us a Total Driver Misery Index, which rates each state on the hostility it shows toward motorists," the article states. "Maybe in so doing, we can encourage states to treat us a little better. If not, at least you'll know exactly how bad you've got it."
Joining Alabama in the top 10 of best states for drivers are Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Nebraska, Mississippi, South Dakota, Kentucky and Georgia. The worst states are California, Maryland, New Jersey, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Curtis Summerville, public information officer for the Alabama Highway Patrol, said much of the designation is related to the fact that there are fewer drivers on Alabama's roads than on roads in more populated states.
"The cost of living is also lower in Alabama, so you'd expect to pay less for things associated with operating a vehicle," he said. "Courtesy and Southern hospitality are also a big part of it. We're usually pretty good about letting people into traffic."
By and large, it is relatively inexpensive to drive a car in the state.
A driver's license is renewed every four years at a cost of $23, which is $5.75 per year. There are no state-operated toll roads in Alabama, and the average in taxes and fees to own a car for five years are just more than $700. Alabama drivers also save money on vehicle operation because no front license plate is required, and there are no fees for emissions checks or annual inspections.
Lauderdale County License Commissioner Mickey Haddock said he doesn't hear a lot of complaints about the cost of renewals from drivers. If anything, he said, he'd like to see a slight increase to $6 a year. His office receives $1.45 from each license that is renewed. Most of the fee goes to the Alabama Department of Public Safety to employ state troopers.
"That's still low when you compare it to other fees," Haddock said. "It's still a privileged license in that it gives you the privilege to drive a car in the state. And, when you look at it like this, it's still a great value."
He said the Alabama Legislature could some day adopt policies for emissions checks and inspections, "but that has to do with the economy. Those costs come from running the stations to do the checks, but it does put another burden on the customer by charging another fee."
State-run toll roads could also be in the future for drivers, according to Tony Harris, spokesman for the Alabama Department of Transportation.
"The state doesn't operate any at all at this point, but it is something we'll give more consideration to," he said. "It's being considered all over the country. For projects to provide new capacity, we may in the future see a move to building them, using toll roads as a funding mechanism. It could become a matter of a toll road versus no road."
So far, Alabama has been able to avoid toll roads because of state and federal funding for paving projects, Harris said.
Summerville said Alabama drivers are fortunate because the state allows points to be removed from a license after two years. Some states, such as Connecticut, Michigan and Rhode Island, don't.
"If a judge allows you to go to defensive driving school, the points are removed and you can go on with a clean slate," he said.
Source: Alabama - safe state for driving wins top ten listing
"I've been at it since 1994, and drivers have gotten worse, much worse, because of all the distractions - cell phones and texting," he said. "They're just so inexperienced because parents don't work with them as much as they used to."
Because of his experiences on the road and around young drivers, Trimble said he was surprised at the findings of a recent study by Automobile magazine that places Alabama in the top 10 states considered best for drivers.
"Well, it is hard to believe, but maybe we just take what we have for granted," he said.
"I've driven in other states, and they were pretty bad, so maybe it is true."
In the January 2010 issue, researchers at Automobile surveyed each of the states on the cost, harassment and aggravation of driving. The report involved an in-depth look at how much it costs to renew a driver's license, for instance, how many police officers there are per mile of paved road, the number of toll roads and general traffic conditions.
Once the data were compiled, the numbers were computed with a formula to quantify the pain of driving in each state.
"Adding (cost, aggravation and harassment numbers) together gave us a Total Driver Misery Index, which rates each state on the hostility it shows toward motorists," the article states. "Maybe in so doing, we can encourage states to treat us a little better. If not, at least you'll know exactly how bad you've got it."
Joining Alabama in the top 10 of best states for drivers are Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Nebraska, Mississippi, South Dakota, Kentucky and Georgia. The worst states are California, Maryland, New Jersey, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Curtis Summerville, public information officer for the Alabama Highway Patrol, said much of the designation is related to the fact that there are fewer drivers on Alabama's roads than on roads in more populated states.
"The cost of living is also lower in Alabama, so you'd expect to pay less for things associated with operating a vehicle," he said. "Courtesy and Southern hospitality are also a big part of it. We're usually pretty good about letting people into traffic."
By and large, it is relatively inexpensive to drive a car in the state.
A driver's license is renewed every four years at a cost of $23, which is $5.75 per year. There are no state-operated toll roads in Alabama, and the average in taxes and fees to own a car for five years are just more than $700. Alabama drivers also save money on vehicle operation because no front license plate is required, and there are no fees for emissions checks or annual inspections.
Lauderdale County License Commissioner Mickey Haddock said he doesn't hear a lot of complaints about the cost of renewals from drivers. If anything, he said, he'd like to see a slight increase to $6 a year. His office receives $1.45 from each license that is renewed. Most of the fee goes to the Alabama Department of Public Safety to employ state troopers.
"That's still low when you compare it to other fees," Haddock said. "It's still a privileged license in that it gives you the privilege to drive a car in the state. And, when you look at it like this, it's still a great value."
He said the Alabama Legislature could some day adopt policies for emissions checks and inspections, "but that has to do with the economy. Those costs come from running the stations to do the checks, but it does put another burden on the customer by charging another fee."
State-run toll roads could also be in the future for drivers, according to Tony Harris, spokesman for the Alabama Department of Transportation.
"The state doesn't operate any at all at this point, but it is something we'll give more consideration to," he said. "It's being considered all over the country. For projects to provide new capacity, we may in the future see a move to building them, using toll roads as a funding mechanism. It could become a matter of a toll road versus no road."
So far, Alabama has been able to avoid toll roads because of state and federal funding for paving projects, Harris said.
Summerville said Alabama drivers are fortunate because the state allows points to be removed from a license after two years. Some states, such as Connecticut, Michigan and Rhode Island, don't.
"If a judge allows you to go to defensive driving school, the points are removed and you can go on with a clean slate," he said.
Source: Alabama - safe state for driving wins top ten listing
