Sandy Bay Rd ranked Tasmania’s most dangerous roads
Hobart is officially the most dangerous city to drive in Tasmania, claiming eight of the 10 worst crash locations. Check out the full list here >>
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Sandy Bay Rd is officially Tasmania’s most dangerous road, with a new study of crash hot spots also revealing prangs across the state were most likely to involve men, drivers aged over 65, Friday afternoons, and collisions with stationary objects.
The Decade of Driving Report, published by insurer AAMI using date from more than 4 million national crash claims since 2014, found Hobart had eight of the 10 most dangerous roads in Tasmania, with the Brooker Hwy, Tasman Hwy, and Macquarie St rounding out state’s the top four.
Launceston’s busy Wellington St (number 5), and the Bass Hwy in Devonport (number 8), were the only thoroughfares outside the capital to be included in the report’s worst 10 Tasmanian roads.
It is the fourth time in 10 years that leafy Sandy Bay has claimed the unwanted title of Tasmania’s worst crash location.
AAMI motor claims manager, Leah James, said 30 per cent of road smashes in the state occurred in the afternoon, with men involved in 51 per cent of incidents, and just under a third of collisions including drivers older than 65.
Collisions with stationary objects made up 24 per cent of Tasmanian bingles over the last decade, accidental damage to parked vehicles comprised 21 per cent, with nose-to-tail fender benders adding another 14 per cent.
Ms James said that while there had been many technological advances in vehicles since the first Crash Index was released in 1994, the new report revealed little had changed in the driving habits of Australian road users.
“Nose-to-tail crashes and failing to give way are consistently the top types of accidents, indicating that as a nation, we have a propensity to tailgate other drivers and drive distracted,” Ms James said.
“Since 2014, our data has shown that afternoons are prime time for collisions across the country.
“This coincides with school pick up – and is generally a time when the roads are busy, patience is wearing thin, drivers are tired from the day, and racing to either get home or to their next destination.
“This is when drivers need to have their wits about them, and be vigilant behind the wheel, to avoid those bumper-to-bumper collisions or an accident involving a child.”
The worst crash hot spot in the country over the last decade was Plenty Road in Bundoora, in Melbourne’s north-east, according to the report.
Ms James said the number one crash hot spot for each state and territory were all busy major roads or main thoroughfares running through industrial, educational, shopping centre precincts, or central business districts.
“For the past three decades, the AAMI Crash Index has been educating drivers on the importance of using safe driving habits and avoiding behaviours that lead to accidents,” she said.
“However, we recognise that it’s not just the responsibility of those behind the wheel, which is why we have shared our crash data with governments at all levels to help identify and plan for future road projects, as well as drive policy changes and road improvements at identified hot spots.”
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Originally published as Sandy Bay Rd ranked Tasmania’s most dangerous roads
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