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

  • The financial cost of crashes in the US
    February 1, 2023
    The financial cost of road crashes in the US places a heavy burden.
  • 623 Euro annual traffic jam cost per French car using household
    December 14, 2012
    Each French car using household loses €623 a year due to being stuck in traffic jams, according to a study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). The annual cost of traffic jams in France is said to be €5.55 billion (US$ 7.22 billion). Direct car using household costs linked to traffic jams, such as fuel and lost work hours, are estimated at €3.88 billion a year in France, as opposed to €3.62 billion in the UK, and €5.64 billion in Germany. In Paris, where 40% of all traffic jams in the c
  • UK’s IMechE calls for a Clean Air Act
    June 15, 2018
    The UK needs extensive monitoring of current transport emissions in order to set realistic pollution reduction targets, according to an engineering umbrella organisation. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is calling for a major Clean Air Act to counter what it believes is a deadly rise in air pollution along the countries' transportation corridors, both road and rail. “Individuals breathe in 20kg of air every day and because we can’t see it, we don’t know about the harmful particles it contains,” sai
  • What kind of future is there for road tolls?
    November 12, 2013
    Hugh Basham, transport strategy and policy director, UK and Ireland, at DHL Supply Chain, enters the ongoing global debate around the use of road tolls Road pricing has always polarised opinion. Whilst road users - who are already struggling to cope with high fuel prices and insurance premiums – may resent the additional expense, environmentalists and frequent drivers often welcome the introduction of tolls as offering an escape from gridlocked roads. Charging to use the road network isn’t a new phenomenon