Since most don't have the option of going to work later, many choose to arrive earlier. Since road construction has failed to keep pace with the growth in the number of commuters, the traditional morning rush is worse than ever. But as more drivers seek to beat that rush, traffic jams are occurring earlier. Traffic now exceeds road capacity in more than half of the nation's 50 largest urban areas. Seventy percent of urban freeways are clogged during morning rush hours, compared with 55 percent in 1983, according to Department of Transportation data.
People are apparently willing to trade sleep for an easier commute.
A study by the National Sleep Foundation shows that the percentage of Americans who sleep less than 7 hours a night jumped from 14 percent in 1960 to 35 percent in 1998. U.S. Census statistics bear him out. In 1990, the first time the Census Bureau asked Americans when they left for work, about 8 percent of the nation's 70 million commuters said they left between 5 and 6 a.m. Industry experts estimate that figure rose to 10 percent by 1995. By 2000, more than 15 percent of morning drivers will leave before 6 a.m., according to Thomas's calculations.