Revealed: Adelaide’s most dangerous intersections

There have been 40 casualty crashes in five years at Adelaide’s worst intersection – but there are no plans to fix it. See the full list.

Adelaide’s three most dangerous intersections have claimed more than 100 casualties between them in the past five years, with the government revealing no plans are on the horizon to fix the most perilous junction in the state.

The intersection of Marion Road and Sturt Road in Bedford Park is the most dangerous in the state, recording 40 casualty crashes where at least one person was killed or injured between 2018 and 2022.

Seven of the top 10 most dangerous intersections are in the northern suburbs, according to RAA crash data analysis, with three junctions alone located along Main North Road.

Playford mum Rachael Harvey drives through the Curtis Road and Peachy Road intersection in Munno Para regularly, which ranked third on the list with 33 casualty crashes, and said she had experienced several misses at the junction.

Rachael Harvey from Playford, who drives through the Curtis-Peachy Rd intersection regularly. Picture: Keryn Stevens

“I drive past crashes at the intersection of Curtis and Peachy Road at least once a month, and I see near misses there all the time,” she said.

“The intersection and surrounding roads are extremely busy and people are impatient, especially during peak hour and school drop-off/pick up times.

“Crashes occur frequently when people are in the intersection waiting to turn onto Peachy Road from Curtis Road – there is reduced visibility and it’s hard to tell how far away a car is.

“I’ve lived in Playford for seven years and it’s just getting worse with the growth out here.”

While upgrades to five of the top 10 most dangerous intersections have already been completed or are in the works, the state government revealed no funding had been allocated to fix the most dangerous junction on the list – Marion Road and Sturt Road – despite the high number of crashes.

“Due to a number of new developments in the area, the Department for Infrastructure and Transport is currently working on an area plan study to assess access requirements. This study will include the intersection of Marion and Sturt Roads,” a government spokesman said.

“Any improvements identified during this process will be considered for funding.”

RAA safety and infrastructure manager Charles Mountain said the data was a reminder to take extra care at busy spots, with some intersections carrying more than 65,000 vehicles per day.

“Some of Adelaide’s worst intersections for casualty crashes are some of our busiest – and we’re urging drivers to be aware of where typically a lot of serious crashes occur,” Mr Mountain said.

“But it is important to remember that these aren’t just numbers – each injury or fatality resulting from a crash has a lasting impact on the individuals involved, as well as their families and friends.”

Mr Mountain said analysing the data over a five-year period revealed trends that could be used to raise awareness among drivers or lead to infrastructure improvements.

“Across all of these intersections there is a very high number of rear-end crashes at peak-hour times, indicating the heavy traffic congestion is leading to these types of incidents,” he said.

“And at the Marion Road and Sturt Road intersection, for example, there have been a high number of right turn casualty crashes, 20, in the last five years.”