Few things are worse than getting stuck in traffic. Especially when you pass the point of congestion and can see "no reason" for the backup.
As it turns out, drivers across the country are spending significantly more time stuck in traffic, so much so that we're losing hours off our lives because of it.
After a four-year study of the world's most-congested areas, INRIX, a data and analytics firm specializing in transportation, published the results of its Global Traffic Scorecard.
The study shows drivers in the U.S. "lost" an average of 51 hours sitting in traffic in 2022, which is a 15-hour increase over 2021. That cost the average driver $869 in lost time and resulted in a $546 fuel cost, per the report.
It's no surprise that drivers in the most congested metro areas felt the brunt of delays.
Commuters in Chicago lost the most -- 155 hours to traffic congestion in 2022, making it the worst city for delays in the country. That's followed by Boston, where drivers faced 134 hours of delays, and New York City, where commuters lost an average of 117 hours last year.
In the top 25, some of the biggest increases in delay occurred in Miami and Las Vegas. Miami saw an increase of 39 hours of delay over last year, a 59% increase, and drivers in Las Vegas lost 13 more hours in 2022 than the year before, a 46% increase. For the first time, Nashville also cracked the top 25 list, as drivers lost 41 hours to traffic congestion in 2022, a 14% increase over 2019 levels.
Top 25 U.S. Cities with the Highest Traffic Delay Times
1. Chicago -- 155 hours lost
2. Boston -- 134 hours lost
3. New York City -- 117 hours lost
4. Philadelphia -- 114 hours lost
5. Miami -- 105 hours lost
6. San Francisco -- 97 hours lost
7. Los Angeles -- 95 hours lost
8. Washington, D.C. -- 83 hours lost
9. Houston -- 74 hours lost
10. Atlanta -- 74 hours lost
11. New Orleans -- 77 hours lost
12. Portland, OR -- 72 hours lost
13. Stamford, CT -- 73 hours lost
14. Dallas -- 56 hours lost
15. Baltimore -- 55 hours lost
16. San Diego -- 54 hours lost
17. Denver -- 54 hours lost
18. Austin -- 53 hours lost
19. Seattle -- 46 hours lost
20. Concord, CA -- 54 hours lost
21. Providence, RI -- 42 hours lost
22. Las Vegas -- 41 hours lost
23. Nashville -- 41 hours lost
24. Sacramento -- 36 hours lost
25. Pittsburgh -- 34 hours lost
Globally, London is the worst city for traffic -- drivers lost an average of 156 hours here. Chicago clocks in at second place in the world for the highest traffic delay times. And Paris ranks third, with commuters losing an average of 138 hours in traffic last year.
Top 25 Global Cities with the Highest Traffic Delay Times
1. London, England -- 156 hours lost
2. Chicago -- 155 hours lost
3. Paris, France -- 138 hours lost
4. Boston -- 134 hours lost
5. Bogota, Colombia -- 122 hours lost
6. Palermo, Italy -- 121 hours lost
7. Toronto, Canada -- 118 hours lost
8. New York City -- 117 hours lost
9. Monterrey, Mexico -- 116 hours lost
10. Philadelphia -- 114 hours lost
11. Dublin, Ireland -- 114 hours lost
12. Rome, Italy -- 107 hours lost
13. Miami -- 105 hours lost
14. Brussels, Belgium -- 98 hours lost
15. San Francisco -- 97 hours lost
16. Los Angeles -- 95 hours lost
17. Galway, Ireland -- 94 hours lost
18. Lyon, France -- 92 hours lost
19. Medellin, Colombia -- 91 hours lost
20. Bucharest, Romania -- 91 hours lost
21. Bristol, England -- 91 hours lost
22. Istanbul, Turkey -- 89 hours lost
23. Budapest, Hungary -- 86 hours lost
24. Turin, Italy -- 86 hours lost
25. Manchester, England -- 84 hours lost
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