Negative impacts

Traffic congestion has a number of negative effects: Wasting time of motorists and passengers ("opportunity cost"). As a non-productive activity for most people, congestion reduces regional economic health. Delays, which may result in late arrival for employment, meetings, and education, resulting in lost business, disciplinary action or other personal losses. Inability to forecast travel time accurately, leading to drivers allocating more time to travel "just in case", and less time on productive activities. Wasted fuel increasing air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions owing to increased idling, acceleration and braking. Wear and tear on vehicles as a result of idling in traffic and frequent acceleration and braking, leading to more frequent repairs and replacements. Stressed and frustrated motorists, encouraging road rage and reduced health of motorists Emergencies: blocked traffic may interfere with the passage of emergency vehicles traveling to their destinations where they are urgently needed. Spillover effect from congested main arteries to secondary roads and side streets as alternative routes are attempted ('rat running'), which may affect neighborhood amenity and real estate prices.

There are many ways that traffic jams affect the quality of life. The most important ones are linked to health.

Stress shortens life and one of the most common links to stress is commuting in a congested area. Alternatives are searching for homes and jobs in less congested areas, looking for alternative routes to places that you want to go, public transportation (let someone else have the stress), finding jobs where there are facilities for highoccupancy vehicles.

A decrease in air quality occurs in locations where traffic jams persist. This is a major health risk.

Even though crashes are less likely to be severe once you are in a traffic jam they are more likely to occur. The real problem when dealing with traffic jams is at the end of the cue of cars. This is the place where vehicles that are traveling at higher rates of speed meet the vehicles that are barely moving. Crash rates at these locations are much higher and more severe.

There are many more results of traffic jams. Loss of productivity is one. How can an employee be productive if they are stuck in traffic? What will be their attitude once they arrive at work? Impact to

the environment is another and is also linked to air quality. Traffic jams cause people to poorly use our resources like gas, diesel, etc. Traffic jams increase wear and tear to our vehicles which directly impacts our wallets.

I hope these ideas give you direction. You may wish to visit the Federal Highway Administration's website. I feel certain they would have more info on the topic.
Not only is sitting in traffic jams costly in wasted gas and time, it can also kill you. Researchers in Germany have found that people caught in traffic jams have a three times greater chance of suffering a heart attack. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that nearly one out of 12 heart attacks were linked to traffic.

If you live in a large city or any area where there are lots of commuters on the road, then you are probably familiar with the effects of traffic congestion. What you may not realize is the extent of the effects heavy traffic congestion can have. This gridlock can have a tremendous impact on your personal life, career, your future and even your safety. Finding a solution to traffic congestion could mean a vast improvement in the quality of life in your area.

Delays
The first thing many people think of when it comes to congested roadways is the delay. During the morning commute there is additional stress because delays caused by traffic can make people late for work. And at the end of the day, the afternoon rush hour is again a frustrating time because the workday is done and people want to get home to relax, and traffic is preventing it. These delays are the effects most people feel because they are universal to everyone who has to maneuver through congested roads.

"Just In Case" Time

A secondary effect of traffic congestion related to delays is the inability to estimate travel times. Those who regularly travel congested areas know approximately how long it usually takes to get through a particular area depending on the time of day or the day of the week. These experienced city drivers have to build in time "just in case" the traffic is bad. This takes away from leisure time and time to do other tasks throughout the day. Also, on a day when the traffic is unusually light the built in extra time may be of no use and the person arrives too early.

Fuel Consumption And Pollution

The stopping and starting in traffic jams burns fuel at a higher rate than the smooth rate of travel on the open highway. This increase in fuel consumption costs commuters additional money for fuel and it also contributes to the amount of emissions released by the vehicles. These emissions create air pollution and are related to global warming.

Road Rage
Road rage is a senseless reaction to traffic that is common in congested traffic areas. If someone is not driving as fast as the person behind him thinks he should, or someone cuts in front of someone else it can lead to an incident that is dangerous to the offender and those around him on the road. Road rage often manifests itself as shouting matches on the road, intentional tailgating, retaliatory traffic maneuvers and mostly a lack of attention being paid to the traffic around the people involved. It is basically a temper tantrum by frustrated drivers in traffic.

Emergency Vehicles
When you dial 911 and request a police officer, an ambulance or a fire truck and the emergency vehicle is unable to respond in an appropriate amount of time because of traffic congestion it can be a danger to you and your property. Systems are available that help alleviate the problem by allowing the emergency crews to automatically change the traffic lights to keep the line moving.

Pollution

One of the most harmful effects of traffic congestion is its impact on the environment. Despite the growing number of hybrid vehicles on the road, cars stopped in traffic still produce a large volume of harmful carbon emissions. Besides contributing to global warming, these emissions can cause more short-term and localized problems, such as smog and increased respiratory problems in a community due to poor air quality.

Economic Impact

Drivers who encounter unexpected traffic may be late for work or other appointments, causing a loss in productivity for businesses and in the drivers' personal lives. Traffic delays may also slow down the shipping of cargo if delivery trucks can't remain on schedule due to a congested route. Drivers who know that traffic congestion is likely may decide to forgo an activity altogether, leading to less consumer spending and lower event attendance.

THE EFFECTS OF TRAFFIC JAM

Make the motorists stress Causes disease, such as heart attack Fuel Consumption And Pollution Delays Economic Impact -Drivers who encounter unexpected traffic may be late for work or other appointments