The Unexpected Reason Why This Southern State Was Rated the Worst for Drivers

— -- Traffic may be a killer in your state, but when all the negative things that come with driving are accounted for, one southern state ranked the worst for drivers, according to a recent analysis.

All 50 states were ranked by Bankrate.com according to six negative factors for drivers, including fatal crashes, car thefts, gas spending, insurance, car repair costs and, of course, average commute times.

The best state is Idaho, according to Bankrate.com's report, driven by low gas prices and insurance premiums, plus below-average commute times and thefts. In Idaho, the average commute each way is 19.5 minutes and annual gas spending is about $733.06. Their average five-year insurance premium is $656.08 while there are about 95 car thefts per 100,000 people. And there were 1.34 fatal crashes per 100 million miles driven.

At the bottom was Louisiana, due in part to having the nation's highest car insurance costs ($1,279.42 five-year average insurance premium) and above-average fatal crash rate (1.51 crashes per 100 million miles driven).

“We built this ranking because we’re always looking for new entry points into a conversation about personal finances," Bankrate.com's research and statistics analyst Chris Kahn said.

Population density has a major effect on the rankings, Kahn said, as wide-open spaces can be a better environment for driving. But, still, Louisiana was a surprise, he admitted.

"They’re not dominated by big, urban areas like the other states at the bottom. What sank them in our ranking was their sky-high insurance premiums and high rate of fatal crashes," Kahn said.

Here are the top 5 states for drivers, according to Bankrate.com:

1. Idaho

2. Vermont

3. Wyoming

4. Wisconsin

5. Minnesota

You can see how all 50 states rank on Bankrate.com.

Here are the 5 worst states:

1. Louisiana

2. California

3. Texas

4. Maryland

5. New Jersey