Indiana: State of Driving

Home to the world's most famous auto race, the second-largest city in the Midwest, and millions of acres of farmland, Indiana can be a diverse place for drivers. From its urban freeways to rural farms, the state has a robust car culture rooted in automobile history. Hoosiers' long-lasting love for vehicles is still demonstrated in their car museums and events and in their high number of vehicles per resident.

 

While slow-moving farm equipment on roads can present some dangers during harvest season, Hoosiers are generally considered courteous drivers. A number of studies have also given the state's drivers good marks, based on criteria such as accident rates, insurance premiums and safety. Here are some things to know before taking the wheel in the Hoosier State:

Indiana Auto Insurance

The state of Indiana requires all drivers to have a minimum amount of liability insurance coverage, including:

 

These minimums are below what many insurance professionals and financial advisors recommend. Robert Johnson, attorney with the law firm of Johnson/Jenson in Indianapolis, recommends that drivers carry $100,000 to $300,000 of personal liability coverage and $10,000 of medical payments coverage. "This is more than the law requires you to have, but it doesn't actually cost much more," Johnson added.

 

Indiana has been known as the "Crossroads of America" since the early 1900s when people crossed the state on horse and wagon on the National Road between Indianapolis and Vandalia. Nowadays, the state is traversed by four major interstates which connect it with the Northeast, Southeast and the rest of the Midwest. More than fifty% of the U.S. population lives within a single day's drive of Indianapolis.

 

As a busy transit point between the Northeast and the Midwest, Hoosiers have developed a strong car culture and love for automobiles. At the Dream Car Museum in Evansville, more than 60 vehicles make up one of the most extensive collection of vintage and exotic cars in the Midwest. The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn features more than 100 antique cars.

 

Indiana has been a pioneer in automotive history. The state was a major supplier of parts to Detroit automakers in the 1950s and 1960s. At one time, more than 20,000 workers made car parts for General Motors in the town of Anderson. Auto manufacturing remains a key industry here and makes up the largest share of jobs in the state's advanced manufacturing industry, according to a recent study by the Brookings Institution. Automotive manufacturing currently accounts for nearly 100,000 jobs.

 

Auto racing is also an industry here in its own right. Indiana is home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which was constructed in 1909 and has since grown to be one of the highest-capacity sports venues in the world. Every Memorial Day weekend, hundreds of thousands of race car fans flock to Indianapolis for the Indy 500 where 33 drivers race 200 laps around the track (for a total of 500 miles) at over 200 miles per hour. Drivers who would like to put their pedal to the metal in a safe and legal fashion can race an Indy Car at the Indy Racing Experience.

 

And for those looking to live in the slow lane, there are a number of great road trips in the state, including the Lincoln Highway which was the nation's first intercontinental highway between New York and San Francisco. Indiana is also home to traditional drive-in movie theaters where moviegoers can enjoy some automobile nostalgia and watch the big screen from the comfort of their vehicle.

 

With nearly 90,000 miles of road and only 3.9 million licensed drivers, Indiana tends to have a moderate amount of vehicles traversing its major highways and interstates at any given time.

 

According to the Federal Highway Administration, Indiana drivers averaged 17,821 miles in 2017, higher than the national average of 14,425. There are roughly 5.5 million registered vehicles in the state.

From Indy to Rural Farm Roads

There are roughly 90,000 miles of roadways in the state, including 12,000 miles of interstate, U.S. and state roads, and 66,000 miles of county roads. Interstates 65, 69, 70 and 74 converge in the center of the state in Indianapolis. These major thoroughfares bring people across the state, adding to the congestion. But although drivers in the state's capital may complain about traffic, it's mild compared to other cities. The TomTom Traffic Index ranked the city 72 out of 80 for traffic and congestion.

 

Rural roads are in urgent need of improvement and repair. A 2016 report by the Indiana University Public Policy Institute estimates it would take nearly $6.4 billion to bring the state's rural roads up to an "acceptable" level and to repair or replace structurally deficient bridges. The report noted that many of Indiana's country roads have rough pavement, poor visibility at crossings, and undersized roundabouts.

 

With more than 58,000 farms in the state, driving in rural farming areas during harvest season can present hazards. Slow-moving, wide equipment entering highways from fields with blind corners can create dangerous situations. Many roads next to farms have yellow signs with a silhouette of a farmer on a tractor to warn drivers that slow-moving vehicles and equipment are likely to be on the roadway. The state has engaged in more safety awareness campaigns to improve safety during harvest season with things like additional road signage and public service announcements through local media.

 

Bankrate.com recently ranked Indiana as the 6th best state for drivers. The rankings were based on commute time, insurance cost, gasoline spending, average cost of a repair, car thefts per 100,000 people, and car fatalities per 100,000 people. North Dakota, Iowa and Ohio took the top three spots in the rankings whereas California, Hawaii and Connecticut ranked last.

 

Whether on the freeway in the state capital or on a rural highway, drivers should only use the left lane for passing. Indiana takes its right lane seriously and in 2015, a law was passed requiring motorists in the left lanes of highways to move over for faster vehicles to pass. Drivers can be fined $500, but the mandate does not apply during heavy traffic, bad weather, while exiting on the left, paying a toll or pulling over for an emergency vehicle.

Filling the Tank

AAA reported in mid-August 2021 that the average price of a gallon of gas in Indiana was $3.02 per gallon, slightly below the national average of $3.15 per gallon. The lowest average prices are in Elkhart, followed by Muncie, South Bend, Evansville and Fort Wayne. Of all the state's metro areas, Michigan City-La Porte had the highest average gas prices at $3.22 per gallon.

 

 

Drivers can save on gas by keeping their tires properly inflated, avoiding traffic and driving the speed limit.

Employment Rate

 

Employment rates and economic trends can impact highway safety because more workers mean more people commuting to work – and more accidents. The state's 2020 Traffic Safety Annual Report found that accidents have increased, with traffic fatalities rising from 754 to 850 between 2010 and 2020.

 

Distracted and Dangerous Driving

Young Drivers

The State of Driving in Indiana