Traffic delays cost the UK millions

08/12/11

By Adam Blaxhall

Delays caused by traffic congestion cost the country 123 million working hours every year, research shows.

A survey by Churchill Car Insurance found that more than one in 10 workers who commute by car are often delayed by at least 40 minutes when traffic is bad.

The annual cost to the UK economy of such poor traffic management is estimated to be around £752 million.

The average in-car commuter spends about 30 minutes getting to work. However, the study shows these workers are delayed by 27 minutes at least once every month, thereby nearly doubling their overall journey time.

Such disruptions are forcing workers to change their normal schedules. In a bid to beat the rush hour, 51 per cent are now arriving for work at 8.30am. And more than one in five have arranged their days in order to start work between 5.15am and 7.30am.

Head of Churchill Car Insurance, Tony Chilcott, said: "Many drivers have to accommodate the school run and other commitments in the mornings, so it's simply unrealistic to leave home at the crack of dawn. The result is millions of working hours wasted in traffic jams each year."