FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show A Traffic Jam In China?

Elias AtienzaDecember 23, 2021

An image shared on Twitter claims to show a traffic jam in China.

The China highway 110 traffic jam. It lasted for more than 10 days & each car moved at an estimated speed of 1km per day. Building tunnels will help in solving these. Boring company aspires to solve these. @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/497eE0sNBQ

— Pranay Pathole (@PPathole) December 19, 2021

Verdict: False

The image is an altered version of a 1998 picture of a highway in Los Angeles.

Fact Check:

Social media users have been sharing an image of a massive traffic jam in which cars are bumper to bumper in more than a dozen lanes. One particular Twitter user claims it shows a traffic jam in China and tags Tesla founder and billionaire Elon Musk.

“The China highway 110 traffic jam. It lasted for more than 10 days & each car moved at an estimated speed of 1km per day. Building tunnels will help in solving these. Boring company aspires to solve these. @elonmusk,” reads the tweet.

The image’s caption, however, is inaccurate. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact discovered the picture is an altered version of a 1998 photo taken in Los Angeles, California, not China. In the original picture, there are fewer lanes and cars on the highway, as well as more foliage.

“Traffic on the 405,” reads the image’s caption. “Los Angeles, California. View from the Getty Center.” Interstate 405 in Los Angeles is known for its heavy traffic, according to ABC7 Eyewitness News. (RELATED: Viral Image Claims To Show Los Angeles County Public Health Director Looking Sickly)

While the image does not originate from China, the country has been host to several massive traffic jams. In 2015, thousands of Chinese motorists became stuck for hours on China’s G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway following the end of Golden Week, a Chinese national holiday, according to Bloomberg CityLab. In 2010, China experienced a traffic jam that lasted 12 days, The Staits Times reported.