STATE NH, Mass. drivers found to pay 'least' for gas
New Hampshire and Massachusetts are among the states where drivers are least affected by a rise in gasoline prices, because they spent a relatively small percentage of their income on driving, according to a new study.
The report by the National Resources Defense Council, titled “Fighting Oil Addiction,” says that in 2008, New Hampshire drivers spent an average of 4.2 percent of their income on gas and diesel fuel, while Massachusetts drivers spent an average of 3.7 percent.
This puts both in the bottom five for state-by-state rankings, along with Connecticut, Maryland and New York.
By contrast, drivers in Mississippi spent 9.1 percent of their income on driving, Montana drivers spent 8 percent, and South Carolina spent 7.6 percent.
In New England, Maine drivers spent 6.4 percent of their income on fuel.
The study only considers the effect of oil-price rises on drivers. It does not consider the fact that New Hampshire and most of New England are heavily dependent on heating oil for home heating.
The full report is online: www.nrdc.org/energy/states/
Two teens were unhurt when their car crashed into another car parked along Central Street on Tuesday night, police said.
Mariah Briand, 18, of Hudson, was heading east in a 2002 Nissan Sentra when she veered into the breakdown lane and crashed into an unoccupied, parked Pontiac Sunfire at about 8:43 p.m. near 103 Central St., police said.
“The collision caused the Pontiac Sunfire to spin and rise into the air and come to final rest on the hood of Mariah Briand’s vehicle,” police wrote.
Briand and her 17-year-old passenger were both wearing seatbelts, and neither was hurt, police said. Briand was cited for failing to drive between the lines, however.
