Traffic congestion, MPGs and Hybrids

"Things are bad and they're getting worse," said Alan Pisarski, a transportation expert and the author of "Commuting in America."

According to a new study, traffic in America is increasing, and that traffic is costing Americans - on average - about a work week per year.

Traffic also results in the worst fuel economy and the highest emissions, unless you drive a hybrid, such as a Toyota Prius. For this reason, I feel that the EPA and automakers should highlight city fuel economy, rather than highway fuel economy.

According to experts, the majority of Americans will soon live in urban areas, urban areas like Los Angeles where almost 2 weeks per year are wasted. Unfortunately, there are few solutions for this congestion, which means the problem is only going to get worse and probably significantly worse.

While it's great that a lot of cars achieve 30 mpg on the highway, it's their fuel economy in the city that is becoming ever more important. Hybrid cars, such as the Prius or the Ford Escape hybrid - even the Chevy Tahoe hybrid - provide huge improvements in fuel economy in these conditions.

Sadly, traffic is a problem that took only a few decades to grow out of control, and it will have devastating consequences on fuel economy, foreign oil dependency and global warming if it isn't taken seriously into the next few decades.