Gympie Road is Brisbane’s most dangerous road, particularly its sections running through Kedron, Chermside, and Aspley making it on the Crash Hotspots list, according to the 2019 AAMI Crash Index.
The analysis is based on data from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019 of the more than 340,000 motor accident insurance claims across Australia by customers of AAMI, GIO, Suncorp Insurance, Shannons, APIA, Bingle, CIL Insurance, Vero, Terri Scheer, and Essentials by AAI.
Gympie Road has been identified as the worst road in Brisbane. Its stretch running through Chermside and Aspley has occupied the first and second spot; same as last year’s ranking. Logan Road, Mount Gravatt; Mains Road, Sunnybank and Browns Plains Road, Browns Plains round out the first five.
Gympie Road at Kedron is tied at 7th-8th spot with Logan Road at Eight Mile Plains. Bruce Highway, Caboolture; Morayfield Road, Morayfield; and Ipswich Road, Annerley placed 6th, 9th, and 10th respectively.
“These hot spots are generally busy major arterial roads, that intersect with local streets. When you combine this with heavy traffic and frequent stopping, it is a perfect recipe for vehicle collisions,” AAMI Head of Motor Claims Anna Cartwright said.
The top crash locations for each capital city are:
- Melbourne – Plenty Road, Bundoora
- Sydney – Hume Highway, Liverpool
- Brisbane – Gympie Road, Chermside
- Perth – Albany Highway, Cannington
- Canberra – Monaro Highway, Hume
- Adelaide – North Terrace, Adelaide
- Hobart – Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay
AAMI Behavioural Economist Phil Slade added that a crash is likely to occur when the driver is less than 10 kilometres from home or familiar route because we tend to slip into autopilot,” as opposed to driving in an unfamiliar location where we tend to pay more attention on the road.
“Driver distractions such as mobile phones and digital devices are big issues because they take away from your ability to react. It’s best to always expect the unexpected, leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front and be patient especially if traffic is congested,” Mr Slade said.
Frustration, impatience and road rage contribute to vehicle collisions, so drivers should be patient and present while driving, Mr Slade concludes.