Study: Traffic jams more predictable in Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) -- An annual study of national driving patterns shows that metro Atlanta drive times are unexpectedly stable, compared to those in other urban areas.

This year's study measures the predictability of congestion in a new "planning time index." It shows that Georgia freeway drivers have a better idea than some others of how long a drive will take, and don't waste as much time building in an unnecessary buffer around everything they schedule.

The report from Texas A&M Transportation Institute found that Americans are adapting to road congestion by allowing, on average, an hour to make a trip that would take 20 minutes without traffic.

The report ranked the Atlanta area's overall traffic seventh-slowest in the nation.