new praise for plano

North Dallas neighbor surprises as top 10 best U.S. city to drive in

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Once you head out of the city, driving's a little less of a nightmare.

Courtesy photo

Dallasites can agree that there's nothing worse than getting stuck in traffic, but one surprising suburb is pulling through as one of the most enjoyable cities to drive in: The North Dallas neighbor of Plano.

That honor is being bestowed by personal finance website WalletHub in its new study ranking the "Best & Worst Cities to Drive In (2024)." The report examined 100 of the largest U.S. cities to determine their "driver friendliness" using 30 metrics across four key dimensions: Costs for vehicle ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, safety, and vehicle and maintenance accessibility (repair shops, car washes, gas stations, parking garages, etc.).

In all, 13 Texas cities made it on WalletHub's list, and six are located in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Raleigh, North Carolina was crowned the No. 1 best U.S. city to drive in, earning a score of 63.92 points, while Plano ranked No. 10 with a score of 60.52 points.

Plano stood out for its overall "safety" ranking, earning No. 13 nationwide, which encompassed factors like the likelihood of having a vehicle accident in the city versus the national average; the traffic fatality rate per 100,000 residents; the rate of car thefts; among others.

Here's how WalletHub broke down the rest of Plano's rank across the three remaining categories:

No. 28 – Access to Vehicles & Maintenance rank
No. 37 – Traffic & Infrastructure rank
No. 40 – Cost of Ownership & Maintenance rank

Elsewhere around DFW, Arlington ranked as the No. 19 best large U.S. city to drive in, while Garland (No. 27), Fort Worth (No. 34), and Irving (No. 38) all fell farther behind.

Dallas (No. 60), unsurprisingly, was one of the worst-ranked Texas cities to drive in. Just last year, Dallas ranked No. 9 in a Forbes Home study of U.S. cities with the hardest commutes, so this doesn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who lives in the city.

The only city in the Lone Star State that performed worse than Dallas was Houston, which ranked No. 64 nationally. Houston is notorious for having the worst traffic in the country.

According to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo, living in one of the best cities to drive in – such as Plano or Corpus Christi, which ranked No. 3 nationally – can make it easier for residents to own and maintain a car.

"Car prices have gone up significantly over the past few years, and gas remains expensive going into the summer travel season," Lupo said in the report. "However, costs aren’t the only factors that matter; the best cities for drivers also minimize commute times and traffic congestion, have accident rates well below the national average and keep their roads in good condition."

The top 10 best large U.S. cities to drive in are:

No. 1 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 2 – Boise, Idaho
No. 3 – Corpus Christi, Texas
No. 4 – Greensboro, North Carolina
No. 5 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 6 – Orlando, Florida
No. 7 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 8 – Wichita, Kansas
No. 9 – Tampa, Florida
No. 10 – Plano, Texas

The full report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.

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Sobering statistic

Texas ranks No. 9 among deadliest states for New Year’s crashes

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At more than 314,000 miles, Texas boasts the largest system of public roads among the 50 states. It also holds the unfortunate distinction of being one of the deadliest states for New Year’s car accidents.

An analysis of 2014-2023 traffic data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows Texas is the ninth worst state for traffic deaths on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

During the 10-year period covered by the analysis, commissioned by AutoAccident.com, Texas tallied 280 traffic deaths on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day — the highest total of any state. The 280-person toll in Texas works out to 9.61 deaths per one million residents, a rate that’s 37 percent above the national average of 6.99 deaths per one million residents.

The analysis reveals that nearly three-fourths (64 percent) of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day traffic deaths in Texas were drivers, nearly one-fifth (19 percent) were pedestrians, and 16 percent were passengers.

“New Year’s Eve is one of the most dangerous nights on American roads,” says Edward Smith, managing attorney at AutoAccident.com, a personal injury law firm.

“With impaired driving incidents spiking during holiday celebrations, every driver has a responsibility to make smart choices that protect themselves and others sharing the road,” Smith adds. “Even in states with strong safety records, one preventable death is too many.”

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), more than 2,000 drunk driving-related crashes happened during the 2024 holiday season. Last year, December ranked as the No. 1 month in Texas for wrecks caused by drunk drivers.

“The holidays are a wonderful time to be with family, and yet they can also be a painful reminder for those who have lost loved ones to preventable crashes,” says Marc Williams, executive director of TxDOT. “Let’s make a new holiday tradition to drive like a Texan: kind, courteous, and safe. That means always getting a sober ride.”

TxDOT offers these four tips for staying safe on the roads as the calendar switches from 2025 to 2026:

Designate a sober driver before the celebrations start.
Ask a sober relative or friend to pick you up if you’re too tipsy to drive.
Use public transit or rideshare services.
Stay off the roads until you’ve sobered up.

Several organizations in Dallas-Fort Worth are offering ways to get home safely around New Year’s if you’re too drunk to drive:

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has teamed up with Coors Light to provide free rides on New Year’s Eve. To get a free ride, enter the promo code COORSNYE25 in the GoPass app. The offer is available to the first 10,500 riders who enter the code in the GoPass app.
Trinity Metro will offer free Trinity Railway Express rides in Tarrant County from 6 pm-midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Various bars and entertainment venues in Dallas County are supplying QR codes for one free Lyft ride worth up to $35. The EpicCentral entertainment district in Grand Prairie is among the participants.
In collaboration with TxDOT and the Frisco Police Department, Uber is offering $30-per-ride vouchers for people in Frisco who aren’t sober enough to drive. Frisco ranks first on Allstate’s 2025 list of the Texas cities with the best drivers.
Fort Worth Limousines provides designated-driver services in Dallas-Fort Worth via limo, luxury sedan, SUV, and bus.
Pro-Tow Wrecker Service is offering free tows to tipsy motorists in Denton County who need a ride on New Year’s Eve.

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