Washington area drivers waste $1,834 per year on commuting

Washington area drivers waste $1,834 per year on commuting

The Washington area has the most costly commute in the country in wasted time and fuel costs, according to a recent study by the Auto Insurance Center. The annual cost per commuter is $1,834, higher than New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco. The lowest annual cost is in Turlock, CA, where drivers spend just $31.00.

The cost is based on the value of travel time delay (estimated at $17.67 per hour of person travel and $94.04 of truck time) and excess fuel consumption (estimated using state average cost per gallon for gasoline and diesel).

Drivers in the Washington area waste 82 hours a year sitting in traffic, the most of any metropolitan area in the country. Area drivers won another distinction in the commuting misery sweepstakes over a 40-year career, Washingtonians will spend 6.8 months of their lives in traffic jams.