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Mildura revealed as Victoria’s most dangerous driving hotspot

Mildura has emerged as Victoria’s most dangerous driving hotspot, ranking significantly higher than any other LGA when population is taken into account and sparking calls for urgent action.

Deakin Ave, the main drag in Mildura which topped the list of dangerous driving offence rates for the entire state.
Deakin Ave, the main drag in Mildura which topped the list of dangerous driving offence rates for the entire state.

Mildura has emerged as Victoria’s most dangerous driving hotspot, ranking significantly higher than any other LGA when population is taken into account and sparking calls for urgent action.

There were more than 127 dangerous driving offences per 100,000 population in Mildura, far outpacing the next highest in Loddon at 92.09, according to the latest data from Crime Statistics Agency Victoria.

Community Road Safe Mildura executive officer Tressna Martin attributed the high rates to several factors, including speed, overtaking, and failure to give way.

“Typically, it is speed. There are comparatively high amounts of single-car accidents through overtaking,” Ms Martin said.

“The bus crash killing two and injuring nine was (allegedly) due to overtaking on a rural highway,” she said, referencing the horror crash in Carwarp last year.

Ms Martin also highlighted failures to stop or give way as a significant cause of crashes in the region.

“(Other factors) contribute to these failures,” she said. “Such was the case (allegedly) in Merbein, where one person was killed and another injured. My own husband was T-boned in May by an itinerant worker for the same reason.”

Ms Martin pointed to this accident where a car and truck collided at the corner of Fifth St and Main Ave Sth as an example of alleged dangerous driving. Picture: Stuart Kavanagh
Ms Martin pointed to this accident where a car and truck collided at the corner of Fifth St and Main Ave Sth as an example of alleged dangerous driving. Picture: Stuart Kavanagh

“Drunk and drug driving has also contributed to a spate of high speed, multi-car incidents recently,” she added.

When approached by the Herald Sun, Mildura locals in Langtree Mall were shocked by the latest data.

“That really surprises me. I mean, you get some idiots, but for the most part people have been pretty sensible when I have been on the road,” Mildura resident Craig Marks said.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman emphasised the force’s commitment to addressing dangerous driving in the region and gave a warning to drivers about the severe consequences of such behaviour.

“Police are regularly conducting targeted local operations and enforcement to detect and remove dangerous drivers from our roads at every opportunity,” she said.

“If you think you can engage in this reckless behaviour on our roads and not be caught, think again. Not only are the penalties for dangerous driving significant, but the consequences for engaging in dangerous driving can be deadly and life changing.”

This crash which saw two people die in Carwarp was held up as an example of alleged dangerous overtaking by Ms Martin. Picture: Stuart Kavanagh
This crash which saw two people die in Carwarp was held up as an example of alleged dangerous overtaking by Ms Martin. Picture: Stuart Kavanagh

The most dangerous driving offences in the year ending September 2024 were in Casey, in Melbourne’s southeast, while Greater Bendigo followed behind.

Mildura had the fourth highest number of offences recorded.

The City of Melbourne, which typically has the highest number of recorded offences across all crimes, recorded just 41 dangerous driving offences in the same time period – a rate of just 21.2 per 100,000 population.

282 lives were lost on Victorian roads in 2024, with two already lost in 2025.

Of those fatalities last year, more than 52 per cent were recorded in regional Victoria despite just 22.6 per cent of Victoria’s population living regionally.

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/mildura/mildura-revealed-as-victorias-most-dangerous-driving-hotspot/news-story/479643b2d5c9a2c4aea8ea08c3c22235