The worst roads for car accidents in Australia

NEW analysis has identified the roads where car accidents occur the most, and which Australian city has the worst hotspot.

A MELBOURNE road has been identified as the worst street in Australia for car accidents.

The AAMI Crash Index released today revealed the most common car accident locations across Australia, with Melbourne’s Plenty Rd in Bundoora named as the top accident hotspot for the first time.

The road located about 16km northeast of the Melbourne CBD replaced another Melbourne location as Australia’s worst.

Previously, Springvale Rd in Glen Waverley held the crown for five years.

AAMI spokeswoman Ashleigh Paterson said Plenty Rd featured several lanes of traffic in both directions that fed into several other major roads in Melbourne.

“The busy stretch of road features multiple sets of traffic lights and entry points, two of Melbourne’s main universities, as well as a key public transport connection with tram route 86 down the middle of the road making it prone to extreme congestion during peak hours,” she said.

Analysis of motor accident insurance claims from August 1, 2017 to July 31, 2018, revealed the top accident-prone locations in each capital city except for Adelaide and Perth.

Ms Paterson said all of the top hot spots in Australia had common features including a large volume of cars entering and exiting at multiple intersections and frequent stopping and starting.

“When combined, this creates plenty of opportunities for small misjudgements and lapses in concentration which can lead to serious collisions,” she said.

A 2017 survey of 1255 drivers by AAMI found 35 per cent of people admitting to texting while stopped at a traffic light and 31 per cent said they would talk on the phone while holding the handset.

“Even more worryingly, one in five people don’t know that having a phone conversation with the handset in your hand is illegal and 38 per cent of people don’t know that having a phone conversation on speakerphone with the handset in your lap is illegal,” Ms Paterson said.

The survey also revealed about 67 per cent of drivers felt angry when they saw others using a mobile phone while driving.

A picture of the car that rollover on Sydney Harbour Bridge. Picture: Channel 9