How much do you love your New Jersey commute?

Did you just chuckle?

From congestion to construction, the Garden State certainly has a long way to go in terms of offering drivers a positive experience on the road.

And a new study analyzes just lousy it can be to drive in New Jersey compared to the other 49 states.

Looking at 23 key indicators of a positive commute, personal finance website WalletHub claims New Jersey is the ninth-worst state in which to drive.

When broken down into four broad categories, New Jersey ranks:

  • 42nd for cost of ownership and maintenance
  • 49th for traffic and infrastructure
  • 6th for safety
  • 12th for access to vehicles and maintenance

New Jersey ranks dead last for "traffic indiscipline." The study measured incidents on the road due to poor behavior behind the wheel, such as phone use, speeding, aggressive acceleration, harsh braking and poor turning.

"Most of that behavior is completely avoidable, yet we find that a lot of New Jersey motorists are engaging in it," said Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic, responding to the report.

The state ranks 43rd for both road and bridge quality, and 40th for the share of major roadways that experience rush-hour traffic congestion.

"We're going to notice our roads getting even worse as we come into pothole season," Noble added.

At 6.27 per 100,000 people, New Jersey ranks fourth in the nation for its traffic fatality rate. In 2017, 635 drivers, passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians lost their lives on New Jersey roads, compared to 602 the year prior and 562 the year before that.

According to the report, New Jersey is the best-performing state in the nation when looking at the rate of residents victimized by theft of personal property from their vehicles.

The state also ranks among the top 10 states for its availability of car washes and auto-repair shops.

Hawaii earns the title as the worst state in which to drive, the report finds. Texas is No. 1.

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Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.

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