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You think traffic jams are just a nuisance? Get this, it also turns out they are a major reason why we waste so much gasoline.

You know the drill. You’re driving to work, there’s an accident up ahead and the next thing you know you’re crawling along in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Well it turns out that the congestion caused by traffic accidents it a major factor in wasting fuel. According to Ford’s top safety expert Priya Prasssad, every year, traffic accidents and the traffic jams they cause waste 3 billion gallons of gasoline.

So, putting new technology in cars and redesigning roadways to reduce accidents is not just a safety issue. If we can cut down on the number of accidents that happen we could make a major dent in how much oil this country uses.