Inrix Study: Commuters Spend Billions on Traffic Jams

An average commuter in Germany spends 40 hours a year in traffic jams, according to an analysis by traffic data service provider Inrix. Calculating the time loss based on half of an average hourly wage, this costs €427 per driver.

“Traffic jams across Germany cost drivers €3.2 billion, a 14 percent increase compared to 2022,” Inrix announced on Tuesday.

In addition, higher fuel costs in stop-and-go traffic of a similar magnitude are also incurred. Berlin tops the list of congestion-plagued cities in Germany, as determined by traffic data analysts. In 2023, drivers in Berlin spent an average of 55 hours in traffic jams, closely followed by Stuttgart (53 hours) and Munich (52 hours). In Cologne, commuters spent 50 hours, in Düsseldorf 49 hours, and in both Bremen and the Ruhr area 45 hours each in traffic jams or slow-moving traffic.

“Hamburg fares comparatively well with 43 hours, but even here, commuters had to sacrifice more than a workweek per year additionally for their daily commute by car.”

To calculate the time loss, Inrix compared the duration of nighttime trips on open roads with daytime travel times during peak hours. An interesting development was observed in trips to downtown areas. They significantly decreased in the million-person cities of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Cologne, as well as in Frankfurt am Main:

“In Berlin by as much as 17 percent and in Munich by 16 percent” compared to the previous year. At the same time, delays due to traffic jams or slow-moving traffic increased. “This indicates a gradual exodus from city centers and a stronger shift of traffic to suburban areas,” explained the traffic data analysts.