What Is the Best Way to Beat Traffic?

— -- A new study that shows the economic impact of traffic proves that not only is traffic annoying and frustrating, it's hitting your wallet too.

Traffic cost the average household $1,700 a year and that number is expected to rise to $2,300 in 2030, according to a new study by INRIX and the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

With those statistics in mind, “Good Morning America” set out to find the best way to avoid wasting the 111 hours per year that the average American spends in traffic, according to INRIX.

“GMA”’s Sarah Haines and producers took off in a race from the heart of New York City to a mall on Long Island.

One car used a plain-old paper map; one car used Google maps on a smartphone and the third car used the traffic app Waze, an app where drivers share real-time traffic information with other users.

After weaving in and out of traffic, it was Waze that got its team to the destination first.

In second place was Google maps, while the team using the paper map finished a distant third.