By Cassandra Morgan

THE Monaro Highway at Hume is Canberra’s top crash hotspot, according to insurer AAMI’s 2023 crash index. 

Plenty Road at Bundoora in Melbourne’s north-east was named Australia’s worst crash hotspot, taking the title of the country’s most dangerous for the sixth consecutive year.

The index, based on more than 350,000 insurance claims between July 2022 and June 2023, also named repeat winners in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

According to the crash index, the most common type of collisions in Canberra are nose-to-tail. The ACT’s worst roads are:

• Monaro Highway, Hume

* Canberra Avenue, Fyshwick

* Gundaroo Drive, Gungahlin

* Drakeford Drive, Kambah

* Monaro Highway, Fyshwick and Newcastle Street, Fyshwick (tied)

AAMI motor customer engagement head Tammy Hall said: Bumper-to-bumper collisions often happen during peak hour traffic when the roads are busy, patience is wearing thin, drivers are tired from the day, and are in a rush to get to their destination.

“This is when accidents most commonly occur.”

Fridays recorded the most accidents nationally and the afternoon was the worst time for crashes, the insurer found.

Male drivers were more likely than females to crash, and motorists aged between 35 and 49 were the worst offenders.

Sydney’s most dangerous crash hotspot was the Hume Highway at Liverpool in the western suburbs, which ranked as Australia’s fourth-worst hotspot. The highway has taken out the Sydney’s top spot for six consecutive years.

Brisbane’s Gympie Road at Chermside in the city’s north was named its most dangerous crash hotspot for the second year running, while in Perth, the Albany Highway at Cannington in the city’s south was again named the city’s most dangerous.

The Albany Highway has taken out Perth’s top hotspot in the crash index for nine of the past 10 years.

Adelaide, Canberra, the NT and Hobart all had new winners in 2023, with most of the nation’s worst crash hotspots generally major roads intersecting with local streets in high traffic industrial, educational and shopping precincts.

Adelaide’s most dangerous crash hotspot was West Terrace in the city’s west.

The NT’s worst road was the Stuart Highway at Katherine.

Hobart’s top crash hotspot was Argyle Street in the CBD, which moved up five places from 2022.

Nose-to-tail collisions were the most common types of crashes at hotspots except for in Hobart and the NT.

Hobart’s most common crashes happened while cars were parked, while in the NT, collisions with animals were most often to blame for crashes.