Car crash capital: The Aussie city taking the shameful crown
As Australia's road toll rises, new data has revealed this major city is home to nine of the top 10 crash hotspots across the country.
There’s never been a riskier and more dangerous time than to be driving on Australian roads, and the country’s national road toll is projected to keep rising.
According to the latest June 2026 data, 1325 lives have been lost on Aussie roads in the 12 months to the end of June, representing a 0.2 per cent increase from the year prior.
As road authorities from the local and federal level try their best to reduce road trauma, a new report has revealed the top crash sites in the country, with this state home to a vast majority of the country’s most dangerous roads.
According to AAMI Insurance’s latest Car Crash Index report – which gathered data from more than 394,000 motor vehicle insurance claims between January and December 2025 – Springvale Road in Glen Waverley was cited as the top crash site in Australia.
The 50km arterial overtook Plenty Road in Bundoora, which had held the unenviable crown for the eight consecutive years prior.
Concerningly, nine of the top 10 identified car crash hotspots were all in Victoria, with Pennant Hills Road – NSW’s top spot for accidents – bucking the trend in ninth place.
In Brisbane, the insurer identified Mains Road in Sunnybank as the capital city’s most crash-prone area. According to AAMI Insurance, nose-to-tail accidents are common on the road due to its congestion, stop-start traffic and signalled intersections.
| Crash hotspot location | Worst intersection | Most common crash type |
| Springvale Road, Glen Waverley, VIC | Springvale Road and Ferntree Gully | Nose to tail |
| Plenty Road, Bundoora, VIC | Plenty Road and Settlement Road | Nose to tail |
| Doncaster Road, Doncaster, VIC | Doncaster Road and Elgar Road | Failure to give way |
| Maroondah Highway, Ringwood, VIC | Maroondah Highway and Dublin Road | Nose to tail |
| Sydney Road, Campbellfield, VIC | Sydney Road and Mahoneys Road | Nose to tail |
| Bell Street, Preston, VIC | Bell Street and Albert Street | Nose to tail |
| Cooper Street, Epping, VIC | Cooper Street and High Street | Nose to tail |
| Nepean Highway, Cheltenham, VIC | Nepean Highway and Bay Road | Nose to tail |
| Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford, NSW | Pennant Hills Road and Evans Road | Nose to tail |
| Stud Road, Rowville, VIC | Stud Road and Wellington Road | Nose to tail |
The insurer data also highlighted that motorists aged 65 years and above, as well as male drivers, reported the most crashes in 2025.
According to AAMI’s motor prevention manager Mary Kennedy, the top hotspots all feature similar road characteristics that contribute to high collision rates.
“Those hotspots topping our list all share similar traits – heavy traffic, multiple lanes, traffic lights, major intersections, shopping precincts and constant turning movements, where even a momentary lapse in concentration can lead to a crash,” Kennedy said in a media statement.
“Mornings and Fridays are peak prang periods nationally, when school pick-ups, commuters, shoppers and heavy traffic all converge.”
Across the more than 300,000 insurance claims analysed in the report, Kennedy said the top three most common types of accidents “are among the most preventable”.
According to AAMI Insurance, nose-to-tail collisions were the most frequent car accident claimed at 28 per cent. This was followed by failure to give way (23 per cent) and collisions with stationary objects (22 per cent).
| Capital City | Top car crash hotspot |
| Melbourne | Springvale Road, Glen Waverley |
| Sydney | Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford |
| Brisbane | Mains Road, Sunnybank |
| Perth | Albany Highway, Cannington |
| Adelaide | North East Road, Modbury |
| Hobart | Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay |
| Canberra | Hindmarsh Drive, Phillip |
| Darwin | Trower Road, Casuarina |
