The 7 Longest Traffic Jams in History

Ariel Kana Power
Ranker 41,987 views 7 items

Giving most of us a reason to whine, complain and show up late for work, traffic jams are a way of life, but these 7 longest traffic jams in history stand above the rest as the worst ever. From 110-mile pileups in France to millions of residents evacuating before a natural disaster, these traffic jams make Southern California highways look deserted in comparison.

Being bored, hungry and miserable, running low on gas or needing to use the restroom are all reasonable reactions to being stuck in traffic, and undoubtably felt by the drivers stuck in these historical messes. Next time you're stuck for 20-30 minutes on the highway, be thankful you were not there for days and days, as these unlucky folks were.

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Beijing, China

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On the Beijing-Tibet Expressways just outside of Beijing, drivers were trapped in a 62-mile traffic jam that lasted over 12 days in August of 2010. Crawling along at a speed of just two miles per day, some drivers estimated that it took them three days to pass through the congestion.

The cause of the jam was due to not only the skyrocketing number of cars and drivers in China but also the heavy use of the route by trucks bringing construction supplies to Beijing. Interestingly enough, those construction supplies were for road work on the highway, a plan that intended to lessen the congestion and eliminate traffic jams.

A hassle to most, the traffic jam gave birth to a mini-economy with local merchants capitalizing on the drivers by selling water and food such as instant noodles at inflated prices. Some drivers passed time by playing cards, while others were victims of theft and extortion from the local residents.

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