According to ADAC’s report, there were more traffic jams and slow-moving traffic on German motorways in 2024 than in the previous year. The automobile club recorded 516,000 traffic jams on German motorways, with a total length of approximately 859,000 kilometres.
Drivers spent a total of 448,000 hours in traffic jams. For comparison, in 2023, drivers spent 427,000 hours in 504,000 traffic jams. This means that in 2024, drivers lost 21,000 more hours due to traffic congestion than in the previous year. According to ADAC, the increase is attributed to higher motorway traffic volumes and a large number of construction sites.
The federal states most affected were North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg. On average, the highest traffic congestion occurred on Wednesdays and Thursdays, while traffic volumes were significantly lower on Mondays and weekends. Heavy traffic jams were typical on weekdays between 06:00 and 09:00 and between 14:00 and 18:00. However, on Fridays, peak congestion shifted to the afternoon and early evening, the automobile club reported.
The most congested day of last year was 17 May, the Friday before the Whitsun weekend, a public holiday in Germany. On that day, the total length of recorded traffic jams reached 5,200 kilometres.