By Derek Miller/SmartAsset 
 
 The number of Americans driving to work alone is on the rise, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. With the increase in drivers comes traffic, which means more time and money spent idling in cars. Some cities are better equipped to deal with the mass of drivers, managing to keep traffic delays and congestion to a minimum. Other cities are equipped with walkable streets and reliable mass transit options, making car ownership less necessary. We considered these and other factors to find the worst cities to own a car. Specifically, we looked at hours spent in traffic per year for the average driver, the annual cost of traffic for the average driver, the rate of motor vehicle theft, the number of repair shops and parking garages per driver, the commuter stress index and the non-driving options a resident has for getting around. To understand where we got our data and how we put it together to create our final ranking, see the data and methodology section below. Key Findings 
 
 Cities on the coasts – The entire top 10 is comprised of cities on or close to the coasts. This makes sense, as many of the largest cities in the country are located on the coasts. Plus, on the East Coast in particular, these cities tend to be older which means they were not built to handle car traffic. Grin and bear it – Traffic can get pretty bad. However, in some cities getting around by car is just about the only option you have if you want to leave your house. Thus some cities with really bad traffic like Los Angeles or Long Beach didn’t quite crack the top 10.
– In some cities, it's a joy to own a set of wheels to cruise around in; in others, you're better off hawking your car on Craigslist and taking the bus, per CBS News. A SmartAsset analysis examined seven driving-related factors (including non-driving options, hours that commuters spend in traffic, and the number of parking garages and repair shops) in America's 100 largest cities to come up with the country's worst cities in which to own a car—and they're pretty much all huddled along the coasts. Here, the worst five: Newark, NJ San Francisco Washington, DC Oakland, Calif. Arlington, Va. Check out other cities on the list here. (Related: the 10 worst US cities for traffic.)