Getting stuck in traffic is more than an inconvenience; it can be costly.
According to a study released by Texas A&M University, the time and gas lost to sitting in traffic cost the United States $166 billion per year.
The data released this week by Texas A&M was for the year 2017. From 1982 to 2017, the amount of time Americans have spent in traffic, as well as the amount of money that traffic costs have dramatically increased.
Using 2017 dollars, the average American commuter wasted $550 in traffic. In 2017, that figure increased to $1,010. In 1982, the average driver spent 20 hours a year in traffic. In 2017, commuters spent 54 hours in traffic, Texas A&M found.
The study points out that in the amount of time Americans spend in traffic, 124 million couples could watch all eight seasons of "Game of Thrones."
The researchers found that congestion in both major and minor metro areas experienced increases in traffic.
For the complete study, click here .
