Plenty Rd: How it came to be known as the worst for crashes

This northern suburbs road is deadly — and it has the unwanted reputation as one of the most dangerous roads in the country. Find out why.

Take a bow if you’re a regular user of Plenty Rd and haven’t been involved in a prang or damaged your car — it’s the worst road in Australia.

According to the annual AAMI Crash Index, where a database of thousands of accident claims compiled by AAMI Insurance highlights the country’s crash hot spots, Plenty Rd has topped the list for the past five years.

Stretching from Preston to Whittlesea, this 30km key arterial is vital link for people living in the northern suburbs, but its congestion and poor infrastructure, combined with out-of-control motorists, have turned it into a nightmare.

Ten people have lost their lives due to accidents on Plenty Rd since 2016, with four deaths in the past two years.

In 2021, an 87-year-old woman died at the scene of a head-on collision on Plenty Rd in Reservoir and two 18-year-old men died in a high-speed crash in South Morang.

In June this year, 28-year-old Robert Hudd died in a single-car crash along the Bundoora stretch of the road, which has been labelled as the most dangerous section by AAMI.

Robert Hudd, 28, died in a single-car crash along the Bundoora stretch of Plenty Rd in June 2022. Picture: David Crosling

According to data collected by AAMI, the most common type of car crash on Plenty Rd was a nose-to-tail collision, with the highest frequency of total crashes recorded occurring on Thursday mornings.

Those travelling in vehicles are not the only ones who are endangered on this road, as pedestrian safety on Plenty Rd has also been a pressing issue in recent years.

There have been several pedestrian deaths along the killer stretch of road in recent years, including a man who was hit by a car in Reservoir and an elderly woman who was killed by a truck in Bundoora.

AAMI spokesperson Anna Cartwright said there were many factors that contributed to the dangers of Plenty Rd.

“This busy stretch of road has several lanes of traffic in both directions and feeds into many other major roads in Melbourne,” she said.

“It’s also home to multiple traffic lights, entry and exit points, two main universities, a school and a tram line in the middle, making it an incredibly difficult road to navigate, especially when you throw in peak hour traffic congestion.”

The Bundoora stretch of Plenty Rd has been identified by AAMI as the most dangerous section. Picture: David Crosling

Police have identified driver distraction as another key cause of crashes.

Speaking previously to Leader, Greensborough highway patrol Senior Sergeant John Sybenga said most of the crashes on the congested stretches of the road involved distraction type-offences, such as using a mobile telephone, playing with the GPS or radio.

“Don’t just look at the car in front of you but also look ahead to see if traffic is slowing or stopping and react accordingly­, be aware of pedestrians as well as trams,” Sen-Sgt Sybenga said.

Ms Cartwright said driver distraction was the leading cause of nose-to-tail collisions that were prevalent along Plenty Rd.

“(Drivers) need to concentrate more on what’s happening in front of them and less on multi-tasking,” she said.

“Tailgating is another behaviour that can lead to nose to tail collisions, especially during peak hour traffic.”

The state government has made several changes to Plenty Rd over the past few years in an attempt to improve safety, including upgrading signage, traffic lights and reducing speed limits in certain sections.

As part of the government’s Big Build project, an additional traffic lane in each direction was added, 17 intersections between McKimmies and Bridge Inn roads were upgraded, as a part of a $178.6m project designed to boost the capacity of Plenty Rd.

A Department of Transport spokesperson said the safety of all road users was the department’s number one priority.

“We have worked with the local community in recent years to identify ways that we can improve safety for everyone along Plenty Road in Bundoora,’’ the spokesperson said.

“We’re continuing to deliver upgrades along Plenty Rd and making sure our road infrastructure is safe, and we call on drivers to play their part by avoiding distraction and keeping safe distances.”

According to the Department of Transport, there are no plans to implement further measures to improve safety on Plenty Rd.