In 2024, traffic jams on German highways have increased significantly, with 516,000 incidents reported, up by 12,000 from the previous year. The total duration of these jams has reached 448,000 hours, an increase of 21,000 hours. North Rhine-Westphalia is the most affected region, while Wednesdays and Thursdays are the busiest days for congestion. Notably, the A61 experienced the longest traffic jam this year, highlighting ongoing challenges in Germany’s transportation infrastructure amidst rising highway traffic and construction projects.
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The frequency of traffic jams on German highways has seen an uptick in 2024. According to the latest report from the ADAC, there were a staggering 516,000 traffic jams recorded this year, marking an increase of 12,000 compared to last year.
Not only has the number of traffic jams risen, but their duration has also lengthened. This year, traffic jams accounted for a total of 448,000 hours, which is a notable increase of 21,000 hours compared to 2023. This statistic reflects the total time traffic jams existed from their formation until they cleared, rather than how long individual drivers were stuck.
Interestingly, the total length of traffic jams has decreased, totaling 859,000 kilometers. While this distance is still greater than the distance from the Earth to the Moon and back, it represents a reduction of 18,000 kilometers. Overall, these statistics indicate a slight decline in traffic conditions.
Insights on Traffic Jam Trends
Traffic Hotspots in Germany: Where Drivers Face Delays
Despite the increase, the duration of traffic jams in 2024 remains below the pre-Corona levels of 2019. However, due to changes in methodology implemented in 2022, comparisons are only partially valid. The ADAC attributes the rise in traffic jams to a four percent uptick in highway traffic volume coupled with numerous construction projects. They advocate for the modernization and expansion of transportation infrastructure.
This year, North Rhine-Westphalia emerged as the primary traffic jam hotspot, accounting for 31.5 percent of the total traffic jam kilometers, which translates to approximately 270,000 kilometers. Following closely is Bavaria with 16.4 percent, or around 141,000 kilometers, and Baden-Württemberg with 104,000 kilometers. This trend is similarly reflected in the duration of traffic jams.
To ensure fairness in comparison given the varying sizes of highway networks, the ADAC also calculated the hours of traffic jams per highway kilometer. In this regard, the city-states lead the statistics with Berlin at 202, Hamburg at 180, and Bremen at 102. Among federal states, NRW and Baden-Württemberg are notably affected, with 69 and 46 hours of traffic jams per highway kilometer, respectively. The A1, A3, and A8 are identified as the most congested long-distance highways.
The Peak Days of Congestion in 2024
Analyzing the weekly traffic patterns, Wednesdays and Thursdays stand out as the most congested days. In contrast, weekends experience significantly less traffic, with jam volumes dropping to less than half of weekday levels. On weekdays, early mornings see the most congestion, except on Fridays when the traffic peak occurs around noon. On weekends, the late morning to noon period is the busiest on highways.
The most congested days often coincide with travel spikes before holidays. For instance, May 17, the Friday before the Pentecost weekend, was the worst day this year, recording 2,500 hours of traffic jams and a total length of 5,200 kilometers. Similarly, May 8, the day before Ascension Day, saw 2,300 hours of traffic jams and 5,000 kilometers of congestion.
These days are typical leaders in traffic jam statistics, with other notable congested days occurring before Corpus Christi, German Unity Day, and the Fridays leading into summer vacations in Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland.
According to ADAC data, the title for the most severe traffic jam was claimed by the A61 on January 18, during a winter onset, recording 77 and 70 kilometers of traffic jams in both directions between Ludwigshafen and Mönchengladbach, and Koblenz to Ludwigshafen.
The traffic data is derived from position and speed information sourced from truck fleets and smartphone applications. A traffic jam is defined as occurring when the speed on a highway section drops below 20 kilometers per hour for a specific duration, and only traffic jams measuring one kilometer or longer are included in the length statistics.