The High Cost of Sitting in Traffic

A recent CNBC snippet highlighted the financial and emotional pain of the American car-commuter. Of note is the staggering statistic that 76% of Americans drive to work completely alone (typically in a 4 seat car). En route, many motorists experience the frustrating phenomenon of ‘phantom traffic jams’ – the leftover wave of stopped cars behind the long-since-departed disruption in the flow of cars (it’s actually a function of humans’ inability to effectively manage the space between vehicles due knee-jerk reactions).

Unfortunately, traffic and traffic jams (whatever their provenance) are a vicious cycle of wasted time, vehicle emissions, and sanity. Studies have long pointed out the harm to the broader American economy from lost productivity sitting in gridlock; CNBC mentioned a study from Texas A&M Transportation Institute revealing the $179 Billion lost each year, and Atlanta has its own dubious distinction as the eighth most traffic-choked metro on Earth.

There are things we can do to ease the pressure on our roads however, as you’ve likely heard us mention here. You can get a custom commute plan to discover all your transit options from point A to B, along with any support you might need to make a switch, and for those for whom the transit option isn’t satisfactory, check out Georgia Commute Options‘ new app to find someone whose commute resembles your own! Make a friend, save some money, and spend less time in traffic in 2020!