Traffic Near Me
Much to the dismay of drivers everywhere, traffic has been a part of life ever since the invention of the automobile. Cars have always stacked up, backed up, and been prone to accidents or other incidents. All of which lead to the dreaded existence of traffic. Having the peace of mind that traffic is moving smoothly without incident is great to know when you’re about to hit the road.
Are you interested in finding out if there is traffic near you? Simply browse traffic near me on the map below and find out where there are traffic incidents in your area. Need a bit more information on traffic? Read on for facts and trivia on traffic and its storied history.
Traffic Near Me – Find it on the Map
Traffic Near Me – Traffic Trivia
Where did the longest traffic jam ever take place?
If you’re searching traffic near me, thank your lucky stars that you weren’t in this traffic jam. In 2010, the world’s longest traffic jam took place on a highway near Beijing, China. Cars were reportedly stuck in traffic for more than a week, though some report that the jam actually lasted around 12 days. The jam itself went on for a whopping 97 kilometers that’s around 60 miles. Taking full advantage of the situation locals sold food and water to drivers for prices that were around 10 times higher than the normal price. The congestion was reportedly caused by large trucks that were carrying coal to Beijing. Thankfully traffic jams of this caliber never happen in America. Most traffic issues are resolved within a few hours or traffic itself is rerouted.
Traffic is the bane of many American driver’s existence.
Where were the first traffic lights installed?
What’s driving without traffic lights or stop signs? Utter chaos! While traffic may seem bad now, imagine driving in a world without any laws, lights, or yield signs. Drivers would be left to their own devices which would likely result in more than a few traffic incidents everyday. Thankfully the very first traffic lights were installed outside of the House of Parliament in Westminster (the UK) in 1868. These lights were manually operated and gas lit. That’s quite a difference from the programmed lights we have today.
How much does traffic really cost you?
If you’re searching traffic near me, then you know that traffic already costs you your time, patience, and in many ways your mental health. However, statistics show that traffic will cost you more than just a few hours. The individual cost of congestion typically exceeds $900 per driver. This apparently results in more than $72 billion in useless spending every year. Traffic tends to cost drivers more in gas than if they were to smoothly carry on. Stop and go traffic tends to eat gas. It also proves to cause more wear and tear on the engine.
True or false: Public transportation is the key to all of your gas woes.
If you’re searching traffic near me in hopes of avoiding all traffic, there’s one surefire way to avoid the congestion and wear and tear altogether: use public transportation. According to recent reports, public transportation can save more than 3.2 billion liters of gasoline annually. That’s the equivalent of all of the energy used to heat, cool and operate nearly 25% of all American homes. When you’re choosing whether or not to drive; use public transportation whenever you can.
Traffic Near Me – Traffic Facts
The Rush Hour Waste
Every drive knows that there are few things worse than rush hour traffic. When you’re dying to get home, sitting in hours of endless traffic can feel like the most infuriating thing in the world. This is especially true if you life in a metropolitan area where commuters reign supreme. According to studies, a regular rush hour driver typically wastes an average of 375 liters of gasoline per year due to traffic. That makes the average cost of sitting in traffic around $1,160 per person. Who knew that rush hour was costing you more than just your sanity? It is also putting a massive dent in your pocketbook as well. If you’re sitting in traffic or simply searching traffic near me, share this statistic and see just how the minds of all of your friends are actually blown.
The First State To Require License Plates
License plates may seem pretty straightforward but the history is a bit more interesting than you may think. When cars were invented and the number of vehicles on the road increased at break neck speed, authorities needed a way to keep track of the cars and their owners. To do this the license plate was implemented. The first country to utilize the license plate is reportedly France, who issued their first plate in 1893. The first country to establish an entire system for using license plates and storing the information was the Netherlands who introduced the first nationwide licensing system. This was called a driving permit. The system used numbers to keep track of all individual drivers. The first state in the US to require a license plate was New York in 1901. At this time plates were not government issued, they were created by the vehicles owners. Two years later, Massachusetts issued the first state required plates.
The First Road Sign System
If you’re searching traffic near me then you know the importance of road signs in keeping traffic flowing freely without issue. Road signs were invented in the modern sense in 1895 when they were first introduced by the Italian Touring Club. While little is known about the provisions put forth by the club, they were said to have helped limit the amount of traffic altercations. In 1909, nine European countries agreed on a single set of signs to indicate road conditions such as “bump,” “curve,” and “intersection.” Work on a uniform and complete system continues today where states try to see everything eye to eye when it comes to traffic stabilization.
