On The Fly

In this episode – Traffic Everywhere . . . Our commute in California has recently increased from a local 5-minute drive to an hour-long trip on the California freeways. This made me wonder about the extent of traffic congestion on today's roads. With more cars on the road than ever, it's no wonder many end up stuck in traffic. Over 90% of American households own at least one car, so chances are you have been in a gridlock a few times. What causes traffic congestion, especially those sudden jams? Is traffic getting worse, and how much time do we spend in traffic? Here are a few facts about traffic that can help answer some of these questions. According to INRIX , a traffic analytics firm, in 2022, the average time Americans spent in traffic was 51 hours. While this may seem like a lot, the United Kingdom had it worse, with an average of 80 hours of traffic delays. In addition to the time lost, Americans also had to bear an average of $546 in fuel costs due to traffic delays. The...