Driving around Melbourne is akin to playing Russian roulette with your car, according to statistics released by car insurance company AAMI.
RELEASING FINDINGS FROM its crash index study, which compiled the locations of over 340,000 insurance claim reports in the last 12 months (June 2018-19), car insurance company AAMI says Plenty Road in Bundoora, Melbourne was the number one hotspot in the country to have a car crash.
The section of road is problematic because of its multiple lanes with intersecting tram lines and multiple entry and exit points, according to the head of motor claims at AAMI, Anna Cartwright.
“Plenty Road in Bundoora has several lanes of traffic in both directions and feeds into many other major roads in Melbourne.
“The busy stretch of road is home to multiple traffic lights, entry and exit points, two main universities and a tram line in the middle, again making it the nation’s worst contender for car crashes in the last financial year.”
Adding to the woes of Melbourne drivers – or a reflection of poor driving and/or poor road infrastructure – Melbourne was home to nine out of ten of the worst roads for incidents in Australia, according to AMMI’s crash index.
Another Melbourne hot spot was the southeast’s Springvale Road, which was the cause of many crashes around Glen Waverley (second on the list) and also Springvale (third). Further up the road at Ringwood, Maroondah Highway was a problem. Other locations included the busy Sydney Road in Campbellfield where Ford Australia is located, and at Doncaster Road in Doncaster.
“Springvale Road is no stranger to the spotlight, the location at Glen Waverley has been one of the worst spots for collisions, since first topping our list seven years ago,” added Cartwright.
“With the southern stretch of Springvale Road at Springvale now coming in at number three on our list, what hope do local drivers have?”
The only reprieve from Melbourne’s appalling record was Sydney’s Hume Highway in Liverpool, taking fourth spot.
So, what could be contributing to the high number of crashes in Melbourne? It might be road rage, exacerbated by running late due to congestion, says behavioural economist at AAMI, Phil Slade.
“If you’re running late, or if something or someone gets in your way or blocks your journey, even if it has no material impact on how quickly you’ll actually arrive at your destination, it’s your reactive self that tends to take control of your car, which makes it more difficult to control your emotions and make good decisions.
“Drivers must be patient and present while driving if they want to avoid making an appearance as a statistic on next year’s AAMI Crash Index.”
