Americans Wasted 5.5 Billion Hours in Traffic in 2011

According to the 2012 Urban Mobility Report Americans lost around 5.5 billion hours in traffic in 2011.

According to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s 2012 Annual Urban Mobility Report, Americans lost 5.5 billion hours in traffic in 2011 estimated at around $121 billion, which translates in about $818 per person. Researchers say that although the congestion level is below the peak seen in 2005, this phenomenon is due to the bad economy.

“When you have enough information about what’s happening every day of the year, you can … tell people how much extra time they should allow,” Tim Lomax, a co-author of the report, told USA Today.

The report analyzed 498 urban areas and also made a top-ten of the most traffic-congested cities in the US: Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco-Oakland, New York-Newark, Boston, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia and Seattle.

The report also recommends drivers to add 38 to 95 minutes for what was in the past a 20-minute trip if they want to arrive on time.