The world's worst ever traffic jam lasted for 12 whole days and stretched back nearly 60 miles

If you thought your morning commute was bad, wait until you get a look at the world’s worst traffic jam, which lasted for 12 days and stretched over 60 miles.

Those are figures that would make even the hardiest of drivers feel nervous at the wheel.

This all unfolded in China back in 2010, and it was so extraordinary that it made headlines all around the world.

But what was the cause of this remarkable event?

A driver’s worst nightmare

For a driver, being stuck in gridlock traffic is one of the most infuriating things you can experience.

Whether it’s a phantom traffic jam on a US highway or a Pokémon GO hold-up in Taiwan, they test even the patience of a saint.

But no country does traffic jams quite like China.

What can you expect for a country of 1.4 billion people?

You may recall the infamous ’50-lane highway’ hold-up in 2015, which wasn’t quite what it seemed.

But even that was a drop in the bucket compared to what occurred five years earlier.

Why did this traffic jam in China last for 12 days?

This story starts back on August 14 2010.

The flow of traffic was passing through the G110 highway near Hebei and Inner Mongolia.

This was a particularly hot day, leaving drivers with the unenviable choice between turning off engines to save gas or switching on the A/C.

But what really made the traffic particularly bad was the large amount of commercial trucks on the highway.

Throw in the fact that you’ve got tons of roadworks, reducing the road capacity by 50 percent, and you’ve got yourself one seriously congested highway.

It’s estimated that the traffic volume was 60 percent higher than the design capacity.

All of these figures spell out one thing – this highway was at a standstill.

Many drivers reported only being able to move their vehicle for 0.6 miles each day.

It’s no wonder that this is still the longest traffic jam in recorded history.

How locals managed to make some money out of the situation

While the drivers would have had an understandably lousy time, locals near the highway managed to see the positive in the traffic jam – they could make money out of it.

Drivers were left paying extortionate prices for items like instant noodles and cigarettes.

A bottle of water that would have usually cost 1 yuan (15 cents) was now being sold for 10 yuan ($1.50).

“A boxed lunch is 10 yuan ($1.50), and one box isn’t enough for me,” a driver told China National Radio.

“I’m spending up to 50 yuan (about $7.50) a day on food. It’s more expensive than eating in a restaurant.”

To keep themselves active, drivers passed the time by sleeping, going for walks, and playing games like chess.

All in all, it wasn’t an ideal situation.

By August 26, the traffic jam had effectively ended.

Authorities had dissipated the traffic by asking trucking companies to suspend operations or take alternative routes, and allowing more of those already on the road to enter Beijing at night.

It was undoubtedly a stressful experience for all involved – bar the people who made a mint selling bottles of water and boxed noodles, mind you.