If you’ve ever wanted to know what Harper’s Index has to say about traffic, look no further (the number refers to the date of publication, and the source is listed below each item).

12/86 Rank of drugs among the most pressing city problems cited by Washington, D.C., blacks: 1
Washingtonian magazine

Rank of traffic among the problems cited by Washington, D.C., whites: 1
Washingtonian magazine

1/88 Percentage change in alcohol-related U.S. traffic deaths in 1986: +7
Dr. Ralph Hingson, School of Public Health, Boston University

10/88 Estimated percentage of U.S. gasoline consumption that occurs during traffic jams: 4
U.S. Department of Transportation

8/88 Chances that a New York City traffic officer was assaulted on the job in 1987: 1 in 5
Department of Transportation (N.Y.C.)

9/88 Average fine in Bavaria, West Germany, for calling a traffic officer a damischer Bulle (stupid bull): $1,710
Franz Spelman, Time (Munich, West Germany)

For calling a traffic officer a Stinkstiefel (smelly boot): $51
Franz Spelman, Time (Munich, West Germany)

10/90 Percentage increase, since last year, in the number of traffic accidents in East Germany: 49
German Information Center (New York City)

2/90 Percentage change, since 1974, in the amount of commercial air traffic in the United States: +100
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration

Percentage change, since 1974, in the number of commercial airports in the United States: 0
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration

9/90 Rickshaws the city of Jakarta, Indonesia, has dumped into the ocean since 1985 to reduce traffic congestion: 100,000
The Australian (Sydney)

5/91 Size of one traffic jam in Tokyo last year, in miles: 84
Washington Report (St. Petersburg, Fla.)

12/95 Estimated amount of gasoline wasted in U.S. traffic jams each day, in gallons: 12,600,000
Texas Transportation Institute (College Station, Tex.)

6/95 Average speed of a car crossing midtown Manhattan during the day, in miles per hour: 5.3
Ruben Ramirez, New York City Department of Transportation

Maximum average speed in miles per hour that Manhattan’s traffic commissioner believes is achievable: 9
Ruben Ramirez, New York City Department of Transportation

1/98 Percentage change since 1982 in the average amount of time an American is delayed by traffic congestion: +95
The Campaign for Efficient Transportation (Washington)

9/98 Number of air-traffic controllers ordered to take a two-hour “refresher” course last spring: 10,000
Federal Aviation Administration (Washington)

9/98 Number of times last June that air-traffic controllers lost track of the altitude or speed of Air Force I or II: 4
Federal Aviation Administration (Washington)

6/99 Percentage change since 1990 in the number of U.S. traffic disputes in which one driver kills or injures another: +59
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (Washington)

11/00 Average annual number of traffic accidents in Iowa caused by low visibility due to corn stalks: 65
Iowa Department of Transportation (Ames)/Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)

2/00 Ratio of the number of Americans killed in traffic accidents in 1998 to the number killed by medical errors: 1:1
Institute of Medicine (Washington);

5/00 Rank of traffic accidents among the leading causes of death for on-duty U.S. police officers last year: 1
U.S. Department of Justice/Federal Bureau of Investigation

7/01 Estimated cost of fuel consumed in 1999 by U.S. drivers caught in traffic delays: $8,600,000,000
Texas Transportation Institute (College Station)

10/02 Number of traffic tickets issued in July by British Columbia police officers posing as squeegee men: 90
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Burnaby, B.C.)

8/03 Ratio of the estimated number of people killed worldwide by war last year to the number killed by traffic: 1:4
World Health Organization (Geneva)

6/05 Portion of the world’s motor vehicles that are in China: 1/17
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (Geneva)

Portion of the world’s annual traffic fatalities that are: 1/5
World Health Organization (Geneva)

7/05 Percentage of U.S. auto travel that occurs on two-lane roads: 28
The Road Information Program (Washington)

Percentage of traffic fatalities that do: 52
The Road Information Program (Washington)

11/06 Amount that U.S. embassy staff in London owe in unpaid traffic charges: $1,600,000
Transport for London

6/07 Portion of all Internet traffic today that is file sharing of music, films, and videos: 2/3
CacheLogic (Cambridge, England)

10/08 Percentage by which the average incidence of fires and traffic accidents on Fridays the 13th differs from that of other Fridays: –4
Centrum voor Verzekeringsstatistiek (The Hague, Netherlands)

7/08 Minimum number of U.S. cities that have shortened the yellow light on traffic signals to under the legal limit: 6
National Motorists Association (Waunakee, Wisc.)

9/08 Minutes that Minneapolis drivers can legally idle while not in traffic, per a new city ordinance: 3
Minneapolis Public Affairs

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