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

  • EU must do more to cut car occupant deaths, say transport safety campaigners
    April 25, 2014
    Transport safety campaigners are calling on the European Union to accelerate progress on reducing the number of people killed in cars annually in the EU, as new research shows 12,345 car occupants died in 2012. The report into trends in car occupant safety, published today (29 April 2014) by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), claims that 900 lives could be saved every year in the EU if car manufacturers were required to fit seat-belt reminder sensors to front and rear passenger seats to help prev
  • Strong performance for UK construction machinery segment
    September 12, 2022
    The UK has recorded a strong performance the UK construction machinery segment.
  • Research reveals UK drug driving risk
    August 13, 2013
    Research carried out on behalf of an insurance firm reveals a worryingly high level of drug use amongst the UK’s drivers. The study was carried out for the insurance company Confused.com and shows that up to 20% of British drivers admit to using drugs while at the wheel. This contrasts strongly with official police data for drivers caught under the influence of drugs in 2012. This information shows that only 1,132 people were caught drug driving in 2012, down by 12.5% from the 1,294 in 2011. The data reveal
  • Pollution-free highways of the future: a reality?
    February 9, 2018
    More collaboration is needed to reduce the impact of highways on the environment, particularly air quality. The technology already exists, argue Bram Miller* and Martin Broderick* The European Environment Agency produced a report showing that a slow improvement in air quality has been observed across Europe. However, 9% of urban Europeans were exposed to nitrogen dioxide emissions in excess of the EU’s annual maximum limit in 2015. Meanwhile, associations between highways and the environment tend to be n