How Much Bad Roads Are Really Costing You
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A flat tire from a pothole or a nail is proving to be a lot more than a passing inconvenience, according to a new chart created by the Washington Post. Look at the map below to find out how much extra money you might be paying based on your state.
The Washington Post - washingtonpost.com
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The data was compiled by TRIP, a national transportation research group. The data comes from the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the Federal Highway Administration and suggests that bad roads across America have a much more expensive, insidious cost to them than just a few extra minutes on the side of the road.
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People who live in places like Nevada or Florida are only paying about $315 and $325, respectively, per year. But if you live in a state like Oklahoma or California, you might be paying upwards of $700 in extra dollars because of extra wear, tear, and gas mileage put on your car due to poor infrastructure.
Overall, numbers from TRIP show that the average American driver is paying an extra $515 in extra yearly costs, the Washington Post reports.
What’s even more is that TRIP’s research shows that 28 percent of the nation’s major roadways are in poor conditions, meaning they cannot be resurfaced or paved over. They have to be completely rebuilt. These roadways across America include:
- Interstates
- Freeways
- Major arterial roadways in urban areas