less stuck in traffic in 2007 than they did in 2006 and wasted 1 gallon less of gasoline . Congestion delay per traveler in 1982 was 13.8 hours . In 2005 , that number had almost tripled to 37.4 hours . But it was down to 36.1 hours in 2007 , representing a `` rare break in near-constant growth , '' the report said . Because the changes were nominal , most people may not have noticed any change in their commutes . The average person still needs 25 percent more time to travel during rush hour than during other parts of the day , Fette said . `` Things were so congested and bad , it was kind of hard to notice , '' Fette said . Among the report 's other findings : • American travelers still wasted 4.2 billion hours stuck in rush-hour traffic jams . That amounts to nearly one full work -LRB- or vacation -RRB- week for every traveler . • The overall cost , based on wasted fuel and lost productivity , reached $ 87.3 billion in 2007 , the report said . That 's more than $ 750 per person . • The
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Americans are spending less time stuck in traffic and wasting less gas , according to a new report . Americans spend a little less time in traffic , a study shows , but drivers on I-110 in Los Angeles might not notice . Rising joblessness and stinging gas prices have put the brakes on worsening trends in traffic congestion , according to a study issued Wednesday by the Texas Transportation Institute , the nation 's largest university-based transportation research facility . `` It 's temporary , but real , '' said institute spokesman Bernie Fette about the declines . `` As goes the American economy , so goes traffic . There 's fewer people going to work . '' The institute attributed the changes to the recession , but the U.S. economy did not begin to slow significantly until the end of 2007 . The organization began tracking traffic trends in 1982 , and by `` every measure , congestion has increased substantially '' in those 25 years , the latest Urban Mobility Report said . Not in 2007 . Researchers surveyed 439 urban centers in the United States and found that travelers spent one hour