Skip to main content

UK traffic jams cost drivers £426mn in wasted fuel, report claims

Traffic jams in the UK are costing the country's 8.2 million drivers US$683.31 million (£426mn) a year in wasted fuel, according to an estimate in a report by the analytics firm Inrix. The cost, which equates to £52 a vehicle, is on top of an estimated wasted driver time cost of £2.7bn. Out of the traffic on the country's roads during the day Inrix states that 19% is freight, with business vehicles passing on £1.1 billion of costs every year to consumers in order to cover the cost of them waiting in traffic
December 10, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Traffic jams in the UK are costing the country's 8.2 million drivers US$683.31 million (£426mn) a year in wasted fuel, according to an estimate in a report by the analytics firm 5367 INRIX.

The cost, which equates to £52 a vehicle, is on top of an estimated wasted driver time cost of £2.7bn.

Out of the traffic on the country's roads during the day Inrix states that 19% is freight, with business vehicles passing on £1.1 billion of costs every year to consumers in order to cover the cost of them waiting in traffic.

Inrix argues that if up-to-date information was properly processed, congestion levels could be reduced by up to 10%. It points out that 40% of national congestion related costs can be attributed to London, despite only 33% of people there driving a car in comparison to 69% across the UK. However, it states that Manchester is the UK's most congested city. Despite this, Inrix claims that congestion levels have reduced by 11% over the past year, which it attributes to tougher economic conditions and higher fuel prices.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK road maintenance budgets further stretched, says ALARM survey
    March 25, 2020
    Indications last year of an improving condition for the UK’s road maintenance have not been sustained, according to a new survey.
  • Kenya moves ahead with double-decker road to address costly city traffic jams
    December 11, 2013
    New double deck roads could cut congestion in Kenyan capital Nairobi – Shem Oirere reports Arapid increase in urban population and diminishing land for infrastructure expansion has forced Kenya to devise ways of addressing the worsening human and vehicular traffic problems in its capital Nairobi. The country national highways agency recently announced progress in the planned construction of the country’s first double-decker highway.
  • The radically changing face of UK highways management
    May 14, 2014
    The British Government policy paper ‘Action for Roads: A network for the 21st century’ sets out radical change to the strategic way roads are funded and managed – including plans to turn the Highways Agency into a Government-owned company and a pledge to invest over €33.4 billion (£28 billion) in roads maintenance between 2015 and 2020. Jenny Moten, Highways Agency divisional director for Network Services, gave a keynote presentation on the new approach to strategic highways management during the Road Safet
  • FOI request reveals “shocking” amount of uninsured UK drivers
    July 30, 2013
    One in every 100 people in the UK with a full driving licence has points for driving uninsured, according to a “shocking” Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). For all ages the request, directed to the DVLA, revealed that one in every 200 people with a full UK driving licence had been penalised for driving without insurance. A total of 226,803 drivers in the UK were said under FOI to have points on their licence for driving while uninsured.