Are you going to be at school everyday? If you are planning on only going to school 2-3 times a week for required labs like OMM or anatomy, then being far from school shouldn't be a big deal. If you would rather attend lecture every day rather than study on your own, then being 45 mins away can be a big deal. Find out if DCOM will be requiring attendance at lecture. I only go to school 2-3 times/week, as I stream. If I was a lecture goer, I could never see myself driving 45 mins each way, 5 days/week. It will run you ragged. Med school is draining enough.
**Edit** I just re-read your post. If you think you will be too distracted staying home to study, that sounds like you'll be @ school to study alot. If you're gonna be heading to school often, you're gonna want that drive as short as possible. And that stuff about treating it like a full time job? That's what I thought before I got here; I have not seen it work that way in ANY of my friends; we all study 7 days/week with the occassional 6 day workweek. Another words, if you're planning on doing your studying at school, you're gonna be driving there 6 or 7 days/week and be exhausted most of the time. However, you could always study @ your local library to save yourself the drive.