Immigration policy is traffic policy. Who’s driving?

“The average American loses 408 days of their life commuting,” according to a new report, “and in many areas, the toll is even higher.”

Under recent immigration levels, the U.S. has been adding 2-3 million people per year. Commutes aren’t getting any easier, making immigration policy a basic quality-of-life issue.

How many days of your life can you expect to lose to your commute?

In addition to wasting hundreds of hours of time, congestion can carry higher risks for accidents and fatalities. Travel times are unpredictable because our highways are so full that they’ve lost resiliency to even a minor accident, which can lead to a bottleneck that causes massive traffic back-ups for miles. Is it any wonder why road rage incidents are on the rise?

Ridester also maps car pollution by city.

Immigration is the primary driver of population growth in America and immigration policy, therefore, is among other things a commuting policy that impacts our “sleep habits, productivity, and quality of life.”

The largest immigration wave in U.S. history has been underway for decades, and now illegal immigration has spiked to new record levels. Some states are trying to accommodate illegal immigration by offering drivers licenses. Other states are considering E-Verify laws to discourage illegal immigration and crack down on illegal hiring. Congress could dramatically reduce unauthorized immigration by passing their own E-Verify bill.

This doesn’t have to happen:

JEREMY BECK is a V.P., Deputy Director for NumbersUSA