Plenty Road in Melbourne's northeast has been identified as Australia's most dangerous road for vehicle crashes, according to AAMI's Crash Index Decade of Driving report. The report, which analyzed 4.3 million motor claims nationwide between 2014 and 2023, also highlighted that drivers aged 65 and older are the most likely to be involved in an accident.
Following Plenty Road, the Hume Highway in Liverpool, New South Wales, ranked second on the list of crash hotspots. Other roads on the list include the Bruce Highway in Queensland, Albany Highway in Western Australia, Canberra Avenue in the Australian Capital Territory, Marion Road in South Australia, Sandy Bay Road in Tasmania, and the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory. Notably, all of these hotspots, with the exception of Sandy Bay Road, have consistently ranked among the top for over five years, indicating ongoing high traffic volume and associated dangers.
AAMI Motor Claims manager Leah James noted that a speed reduction trial on Plenty Road in 2022, informed by the insurer's data, resulted in a 26% decrease in accidents. "Following the adoption of the reduced speed limit, our data showed a 26 per cent reduction in the number of accidents, demonstrating the positive impact the AAMI Crash Index has had on saving lives," James said.
The report also found that men were involved in more crashes than women, accounting for 54% of incidents compared to 46% for women. The most common types of collisions were nose-to-tail incidents, making up 26% of all crashes, followed by failing to give way (19%) and accidental damage to parked cars (17%).
"Nose to tail crashes and failing to give-way are consistently the top types of accidents, indicating that as a nation, we have a propensity to tailgate other drivers and drive distracted," James explained.
The data indicates that afternoons between 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. are the most dangerous time of day for crashes, often coinciding with school pick-ups and increased traffic congestion. Mornings between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., and late afternoons between 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. were the next riskiest periods. Fridays were identified as the worst day of the week for accidents, representing 16% of incidents, with Thursdays and Wednesdays also showing higher rates than weekends.
This data has been shared with federal, state, and territory governments to aid in the planning of future road projects, policy changes, and infrastructure improvements at identified crash hotspots.
