It’s February in Michigan, and a few things are certain: Black History Month celebrations are in full effect, orange barrels will reroute your commute, and the potholes are big enough to ruin your week. The potholes, in particular, are a constant problem for drivers, causing frustration, damage to vehicles, and potential safety hazards.
In a recent survey by Diono.com to gauge the severity of this problem, an analysis was conducted based on geotagged data from the last 30 days, tracking tweets, hashtags, and keyword phrases related to potholes and poor road conditions. Over 200,000 tweets were analyzed, leading to the creation of a map that highlights different regions and their respective intensity of pothole complaints. The analysis concluded what many residents already affirmed: Michigan had the worst potholes in the country – or, at least, we complain about them the most.
The map sourced from Diono.com shows that the Midwest region of the United States has the highest concentration of pothole complaints. Michigan emerges as the state with the highest number of complaints, making it the pothole capital of the country. The visual representation of the map captures the scale of the problem, showing how pothole complaints are a widespread issue affecting drivers across the United States.
Based on the geotagged X (formerly Twitter) data analysis, the top 10 states with the most pothole complaints are as follows:
1. Michigan
2.Tennessee
3.Indiana
4.Arkansas
5.Kansas
6.Vermont
7.Nebraska
8.Kentucky
9.Iowa
10.New Hampshire
While it’s difficult to establish the precise reasons behind the prevalence of potholes in these states, some factors include extreme weather conditions, lack of road maintenance, or insufficient funding for infrastructure. One thing’s for sure: the high volume of pothole complaints in these states is a clear indication that drivers are encountering a significant number of potholes.
Diono.com analyzed geotagged X data using trends software with direct access to tweets, hashtags, and keyword phrases relating to potholes and poor road conditions. The analysis is part of a monthly series of travel-based graphics and trends maps by Diono.com.
As drivers, it’s important to stay informed about road conditions, report potholes, and follow safety guidelines to avoid accidents. This report should act as a call-to-action for state
governments and lawmakers to consider taking deeper measures to address this problem, including increasing funding for transportation infrastructure maintenance and repairs.
While Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has made “fixing the damn roads” a key issue for campaigning and during her governance of the state, it’s clear that there still a long way to go to get there, but hopefully we can pave the way for safer, smoother roads across the state.
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