AAMI Crash Index identifies Australia’s worst roads: Melbourne tops the list
New data from Suncorp Group's insurance brand AAMI has revealed eight of Australia’s ten worst car crash locations are in Melbourne.
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Melbourne dominates the list with eight of the top ten hotspots.
Fridays the worst day on the roads; afternoons the most dangerous time.
Dip in crashes during national COVID-19 lockdowns, but numbers have returned to normal, with exception of Melbourne.
Plenty Road, Bundoora in Melbourne’s north east has received the dubious honour of being named the country’s worst location for collisions, for the third year in a row, according to the 2020 AAMI Crash Index which analyses crash data for the 12 months to 30 June 2020.
Springvale Road in both Glen Waverley and Springvale in Melbourne’s East took out second and third place on the index.
AAMI spokesperson Paul Sofronoff said it was hardly surprising that Plenty Road in Bundoora continued its reign as the nation’s most unsafe road.
“The stretch of road is daunting to drive along as it has several lanes of traffic in both directions, multiple sets of traffic lights, multiple entry points and a tram track running through the middle. Even outside of peak hours there are many hazards which is why it’s so notorious as a hotspot for accidents.”
In the past year there have been works done at Plenty Road to improve safety and reduce accidents, and further works are proposed.
While Melbourne roads dominated the list, Sydney still took out two spots in the top ten, with the Hume Highway at Liverpool in Sydney’s south west coming in at number four and Pennant Hills Road, Pennant Hills taking out number nine.
Analysis of more than 350,000 motor accident insurance claims across the country from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020 revealed the country’s top ten accident locations to be:
| 2020 Rank | Road | Suburb | City |
| 1 | Plenty Road | Bundoora | Melbourne |
| 2 | Springvale Road | Glen Waverley | Melbourne |
| 3 | Springvale Road | Springvale | Melbourne |
| 4 | Hume Highway | Liverpool | Sydney |
| 5 | Cooper Street | Epping | Melbourne |
| 6 | Clayton Road | Clayton | Melbourne |
| 7 | Doncaster Road | Doncaster | Melbourne |
| 8 | Bell Street | Preston | Melbourne |
| 9 | Pennant Hills Road | Pennant Hills | Sydney |
| 10 | Bell Street | Coburg | Melbourne |
[1] Claims data collected from Suncorp Group’s network of brands including: AAMI, Suncorp Insurance, GIO, Apia and Bingle.
Within each capital city, there has been plenty of movement in the rankings, with new top hotspots for Adelaide, Canberra, Perth and Hobart. Canberra, Perth and Melbourne’s lists each revealed six new hotspot locations, while Adelaide and Sydney each identified five.
AAMI is tackling road safety head-on by revealing where accidents most commonly occur across Australia, to highlight to motorists the importance of driving safely and being extra vigilant, particularly at these locations.
“We see that a majority of the hotspots identified are generally busy major arterial roads, that intersect with local streets. When you combine this with heavy traffic and frequent stopping, it is a perfect recipe for vehicle collisions,” Mr Sofronoff said.
#Types of collisions, days and times
AAMI’s Crash Index data revealed that nose to tail collisions were the most common type of crash at the majority of the top hotspots throughout the country – except for Hobart and Perth, where it was car park dings and failure to give way respectively.
“Driver distraction is a leading cause of nose to tail collisions, and to avoid them, drivers need to concentrate more on what’s happening in front of them and less on multitasking,” Mr Sofronoff said.
“Tailgating is another behaviour that can lead to nose to tail collisions – especially during peak hour traffic. Maintaining a good distance between you and the car in front is one of the most effective ways of keeping yourself and others safe and allows additional time to stop if the car in front suddenly brakes.”
Claims data identified Fridays to be the most dangerous day of the week for crashes across the country, with afternoon peak hour being the worst time.
“Regardless of the day or time, or whether you’re driving through one of the identified hotspots or just down to the local shops, every time you get behind the wheel we urge drivers to maintain focus on the task at hand, follow the speed limit and abide by all road rules,” Mr Sofronoff said.
“Most risks on the road can be mitigated if people pay attention and drive to the conditions.”
#Impacts of COVID-19
Analysis of AAMI data found a decrease in accidents across the country in April during the peak of the COVID-19 lockdown, compared to the average number of monthly accidents in the year to June.
However, since May – when most of the country reopened – AAMI’s claims data revealed that crashes steadily increased in all capital cities, except for Melbourne, returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Mr Sofronoff warned motorists that despite roads potentially carrying fewer cars due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no room for complacency on our roads.
“With many of us still out of our ‘normal’ routines – working from home more and driving less, it’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of security – that because there’s less cars on the road we’re safer. But even a short trip to the shops can put us at risk of a crash if we’re not paying attention,” he said.
“All it takes is a moment of not having your eyes on the road, for you to miss one speed sign or for you to divert your attention to something other than the task at hand, for things to go wrong.”
#Media downloads
For further information about the 2020 AAMI Crash Index or to arrange an interview:
Angela Wilkinson
Corporate Affairs, AAMI
0477 395 119
angela.wilkinson@suncorp.com.au
Melissa Cronin
Corporate Affairs, AAMI
0439 224 438
melissa.cronin@suncorp.com.au
