REVEALED: Worst Mid-North Coast roads for car accidents, fatalities

The regional roads that have claimed the most lives and car accidents across the state’s Mid-North Coast can be revealed. See the shocking list here.

The Mid-North Coast has faced a grim month after multiple motor vehicle accidents occurred across the region, including a fatality after a motorbike rider collided with a cow, a two-vehicle head-on saw a 26-year-old flown to Newcastle, and an alleged drunk driver who flew off the road on to Flynns Beach.

Local motorists are being urged to stay vigilant, with Centre for Road Safety crash data revealing the local incident hot spots.

While more crashes occurred in metropolitan areas, country roads saw significantly more accidents when drivers ventured off-path or lost control.

Roads with most crashes overall

Given the volume of traffic the Pacific Hwy sees every day, it’s no surprise this stretch saw the most road fatalities in the 2016-2020 period.

The next worst roads for driving-related deaths were further inland, along the windy Waterfall Way and The Bucketts Way.

Fatalities on The Bucketts Way occurred across both the Mid-Coast and Port Stephens regions.

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Roads hot spots with multiple crashes

Outside of these hot spots, there were a number of other local roads that saw more than one fatality in the five-year reporting period.

In the Coffs Harbour region these include Solitary Islands Way and Bucca Rd, which each saw two deaths.

Just outside of Nana Glen, the two Bucca Rd crashes took place, with another happening on Orara Way further south.

Meanwhile across Kempsey, Armidale Rd saw two fatalities.

The Mid-Coast region saw three road-related deaths on Thunderbolts Way, and two each on Bulga Rd, Wootton Way, and The Lakes Way.

Two crashes along Thunderbolts Way happened around a tight corner, with the third occurring just further south.

Giinagay Way in the Nambucca Valley also saw two fatalities.

Port Macquarie’s Hastings River Drive recorded two tragic passings, and a further three on Telegraph Point.

The Fernbank Creek Rd crash took place just off Hastings River Drive, which saw another two crashes, once of which was mere meters away.

All three Telegraph Point fatal crashes occurred around the same area.

A number of roads in the Port Stephens region saw multiple deaths, including four on Nelson Bay Rd, three on Newline Rd, and two each on Clarence Town Rd, Tomago Rd and Abundance Rd.

Two of the three Newline Rd crashes happened near the E Seaham Rd intersection.

Perhaps most concerning is the instances where fatal crashes occurred within just metres of each other.

This hotspot activity was reported twice in the Port Stephens region, twice in Port Macquarie-Hastings, and once in Coffs Harbour.

All three Tomago Rd crashes occurred within a short distance of each other.

Crash trends over five-year period  

All of the regions reported fewer fatalities in 2020 than at the start of the reporting period.

Most pleasing is the zero deaths recorded for the Nambucca Valley.

A massive decline also occurred in the Mid-Coast, with the region going from 12 fatalities in 2016 and 14 in 2017, right down to three in 2020.