Report: Congested Freeways Cost Drivers $100 Billion A Year In Wasted Fuel, Time

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Sitting in traffic is costing Southern Californians a lot of money.

A new report from the Treasury Department says congested roads are costing drivers $100 billion a year in wasted fuel and lost time.

The report says the average American family spends more than $7,600 a year on transportation, more than what they spend on food and more than twice of what they spend on out-of-pocket health care costs.

Put another way, transportation costs absorb one out of every $7 of income for 90 percent of Americans, according to the report.

The Treasury Department found that at least $85 billion over the next 20 years would be needed for the government to bring existing highways and bridges into a state of good repair.