Extract from The New Daily
Australia's most dangerous roads, and who is responsible for accidents, have been named and shamed. Photo: Getty
A fresh report has revealed the locations of Australia’s most dangerous roads over the past 10 years, and those who are most likely to be in car accidents.
AAMI’s Decade of Driving Report examined more than 4.3 million motor claims over 10 years to name the roads where Australians have the most accidents, plus the most common incidents and who is responsible.
AAMI motor claims manager Leah James said despite changes to cars and technological advances, the way people drive has unfortunately not changed.
“Nose-to-tail crashes and failing to give way are consistently the top types of accidents,” she said.
“As a nation, we have a propensity to tailgate other drivers and drive distracted.”
The most common types of claims were nose-to-tail crashes (26 per cent), failure to give way (19 per cent) and accidental damage while parked (17 per cent).
Most dangerous roads
Plenty Road in Bundoora, Victoria had the dishonour of being the most dangerous hotspot for crashes.
James said the release of the 2023 Crash Index data helped reduce the speed on Plenty Road.
“The No.1 crash hotspots in each state and territory are all notorious for accidents and share similar attributes of being busy major roads, or main thoroughfares,” she said.
“In all states, except for Tasmania, the No.1 hotspot has held the top position in their state for more than five of the past 10 years, indicating that not only are these roads busy, but also dangerous.”
More than 1300 people have died on the road in 2024, a 9.2 per cent increase compared to the same time period in 2023.
South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT are the only jurisdictions where the road toll fell as of July, with 110 people losing their lives each month across the country.
Australia’s death toll on the road has been rising since 2021 when the Covid-19 pandemic created a respite in rising car-related deaths. Photo: AAP
Worst drivers
Men (54 per cent) were more likely to be involved in a collision compared to women (46 per cent), while drivers aged over 65 were the most dangerous behind the wheel, with 26 per cent of claims being attributed to them.
Friday was the most dangerous day of the week, with 16 per cent of accidents falling at the end of the work week.
James said AAMI’s data since 2014 has shown that afternoons, from 1pm until 4.30pm, are the most likely time for collisions across the country, followed by mornings from 9.30am to 1pm and later afternoons from 4.30pm to 8pm.
“This coincides with school pick up and is generally a time when the roads are busy, patience is wearing thin, drivers are tired from the day and racing to either get home or to their next destination,” she said.
“This is when drivers need to have their wits about them and be vigilant behind the wheel, to avoid those bumper-to-bumper collisions or an accident involving a child.”
The cause of the rise in accidents has been attributed to several interconnected sources, including mental health, intoxication, drugs, alcohol, stress and the advent of smartphones distracting drivers.
Australia launched a National Road Safety Strategy in 2021, aiming to halve road deaths by 2030, but instead the death toll has increased by more than 17 per cent.
The increase has resulted in calls for increased transparency and sharing of data on crashes and road conditions.
Experts have highlighted that even though technology in vehicles has increased significantly, the human factor is the major driver of road accidents.
Not every jurisdiction is equal either: The Northern Territory has experienced a 174 per cent spike in deaths in 2024 compared to 2023, while NSW and Victoria also witnessed significant increases.
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