Traffic Predict
Is Inland Empire Traffic Getting Worse?
In 2026, weekday freeway congestion in the Inland Empire was 49% better than in 2025 and 95% better than in 2016, measured as hours lost in stop-and-go traffic per 1,000 miles driven. Traffic volume per sensor was 30% lower than in 2025.
Year by year (weekdays)
| Year | Delay per 1,000 vehicle-miles | Change | Vehicles per sensor per day | Average speed | 5 pm speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 (partial) | 0.79 h | – | 71,552 | 60 mph | 47 mph |
| 2017 | 0.62 h | -22% | 68,249 | 61 mph | 50 mph |
| 2018 | 0.43 h | -31% | 68,880 | 61 mph | 52 mph |
| 2019 | 0.59 h | +37% | 67,268 | 61 mph | 52 mph |
| 2020 | 0.50 h | -15% | 59,997 | 62 mph | 54 mph |
| 2021 | 0.60 h | +20% | 67,160 | 60 mph | 52 mph |
| 2022 | 0.31 h | -48% | 61,369 | 62 mph | 57 mph |
| 2023 | 0.73 h | +137% | 57,957 | 59 mph | 54 mph |
| 2024 | 1.00 h | +37% | 68,479 | 58 mph | 51 mph |
| 2025 | 0.08 h | -92% | 49,079 | 63 mph | 62 mph |
| 2026 | 0.04 h | -49% | 34,364 | 63 mph | 62 mph |
Month by month
How this is measured
Every hour, road sensors report how many vehicles passed and how fast they went. For each sensor we multiply the vehicles by the length of freeway it covers to get vehicle-miles, and count the extra time spent below 35 mph as delay. Dividing delay by miles driven gives a congestion measure that doesn't change just because sensors are added or retired. Only weekdays with at least 20 hours of data are used. Data: Caltrans PeMS.