Traffic jams caused by accidents on motorways hit the UK economy to the tune of £9 billion each year, according to a study published by traffic data company Inrix.

This news has sparked the government to call on highway chiefs to do more to reduce the time taken to reopen motorways following accidents.

Transport minister Jesse Norman has written to Highways England suggesting that slip roads could be used as contraflows to clear motorways of vehicles after closures, the Times reports.

Mr Norman also called for more effort to “look after motorists” caught up in delays, often without food and water.

In the past 12 months, there have been more than 1.35 million jams on Britain’s motorways and A roads. That works out at almost 3,700 every day and the combination of wasted time, excess fuel and unnecessary carbon emissions is costing the country an estimated £9 billion.

Inrix, which made these claims, said the single worst jam in the past year was an incident on the northbound M5 near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, on August 4th. This 36-mile jam took 15 hours to clear and cost the UK almost £2.4 million.

Other major incidents on the M6 and A406 North Circular in London cost the economy between £900,000 and £1.2 million each respectively, Inrix suggested.

A separate study from Inrix found that Britain’s roads were the most gridlocked in western Europe, with drivers spending an average of 32 hours a year stuck in traffic.

Edmund King, president of the AA, told the Times: “We need more creative solutions to the sudden closure of motorways rather than just leaving motorists to stew for hours on end.”

Comments from Highways England’s customer service director Mel Clarke suggested that the group is doing all it can.

“Last year, [we] exceeded our target to keep 97 per cent of lanes available to road users to help smooth the flow of traffic,” she said.

“We want drivers to have the best possible experience. To support this, we provide accurate, up-to-date information about conditions on the roads and keep traffic moving as much as possible.”

Ben Robb, brand manager at The Fuelcard People, added: “The claim that traffic jams are costing the UK economy £9 billion is mind-boggling. Surely something can be done to reduce this colossal figure.”

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