Manila Drivers Spend 188 Hours in Rush Hour Traffic Each Year, According to Study

The holidays are upon us. And, with everything back open again, life has almost fully returned to normal. It's good, we guess, considering we've been cooped up for so long but… that only means one thing for Filipino motorists, though: bumper to bumper traffic. 

In fact, a new study by Budget Direct found that "Manila motorists pay $1,120 every year to sit in 188 hours of time-wasting traffic." So, on top of all the hours wasted, we lose an average of P57,000 in income lost and extra fuel cost.

If it makes you feel better, at least we're not alone. The entire world wastes time and money in rush-hour traffic. Motorists in Hong Kong, for instance, lose $2,534 per year when stuck in rush-hour traffic. Switzerland's Geneva and Zurich followed at the second and third place with most income and extra fuel costs.

Budget Direct found out the number of hours wasted in traffic with the help of Neomam Studios, and combined it with other data to come up with the results. Take a look at the cost of rush hour traffic to motorists in major cities below.

Read the full study here.

"Traffic jam costs are a mighty pile-up of ingrained bad habits: poorly planned road infrastructure, an insistence on driving to work instead of cycling or public transport, and a planet-busting loyalty to fossil fuels," Budget Direct said.

Sigh.