Australia's worst crash hot spots revealed

The numbers have been crunched on more than 350,000 motor insurance claims and it shows a common thread at Australia's hot spot crash zones.

Nose-to-tail collisions were the most common type of crash at almost all capital city hot spots, with almost one third of accidents taking place between 1pm and 4.30pm, data from insurer AAMI reveals.

Data also showed the majority of crash hot spots were highways or busy major arterial roads, that intersect with local streets through high traffic industrial, educational and shopping precincts, meaning they are consistently busy throughout the day.

Topping Adelaide's list this year is Prospect Road in Prospect, while Gympie Road in Chermside topped Brisbane's ranks. Both locations are new to the AAMI Crash Index's leaderboard, alongside Canberra, Darwin and Hobart, which also welcomed new leaders to the top of their ranks.

This year's Index unfortunately saw some of the biggest moves up the 'leaderboard' that have ever been recorded in AAMI's 28-year history of the Crash Index - with the number one hot spots in both Adelaide and Darwin coming from outside the top ten in 2021 and Hobart's Davey Street climbing seven spots to take out the unwanted title of 'worst crash hot spot' in Tasmania's capital city.

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It won't be surprising to Sydneysiders that the Hume Highway in Liverpool maintained the title for Sydney's worst crash hot spot, alongside Melbourne's Plenty Road in Bundoora and Perth's Albany Highway in Cannington. All three locations have stayed in their unfortunate top-ranking spots since the 2021 Crash Index report.

Nose-to-tail prangs top the list for the most common type of crash on NSW roads. Almost one-third (28 per cent) of crashes occur between 1pm-4.30pm, with 16 per cent of collisions occurring on a Friday.

Top five crash locations in Sydney:

Nose-to-tail prangs are the most common type of crash in Victoria. Almost one-third (29 per cent) of crashes occur between 1pm-4.30pm, with 16 per cent of collisions occurring on a Friday.

Top five crash locations in Melbourne:

Nose-to-tail prangs are the most common type of crash in Queensland. Almost one-third (28 per cent) of crashes occur between 9.30am and 1pm, with 16 per cent of collisions occurring on a Friday.

Top five crash locations in Brisbane:

Nose-to-tail prangs are the most common type of crash in the ACT and account for 24 per cent of collisions. More than a quarter (26 per cent) of crashes occur in the afternoon, with 17 per cent of collisions occurring on a Thursday.

Top five crash locations in Canberra:

A collision with a stationary object is the most common crash type, accounting for 19 per cent of motor claims with AAMI. More than a quarter (29 per cent) of crashes occur from 1-4.30pm, with 17 per cent of collisions occurring on a Thursday.

Top five crash locations in Adelaide:

1. Prospect Road, Prospect

2. Unley Road, Unley

Equal 3^rd. Henley Beach Road, Torrensville

Equal 3^rd. South Road, Edwardstown

4. Marion Road, Marion

Equal 5^th. Regency Road, Prospect

Equal 5^th. North East Road, Windsor Gardens

A collision with a stationary object is the most common crash type, accounting for 20 per cent of motor claims with AAMI. Almost one third (30 per cent) of crashes occur in the afternoon, with 17 per cent of collisions occurring on a Friday.

1. Davey Street, Hobart

2. Macquarie Street, Hobart

3. Brooker Highway, Hobart

4. Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay

5. Main Road, Moonah

Nose-to-tail prangs are the most common type of crash. More than a quarter (28 per cent) of crashes occur between 1-4.30pm, with 16 per cent of collisions occurring on a Friday.

1. Albany Highway, Cannington

2. Great Eastern Highway, Midland

3. Tonkin Highway, Bayswater

4. Karringyup Road, Karringyup

Equal 5^th. Mitchell Freeway, Perth

Equal 5^th. Canning Highway, Applecross

A collision with a stationary object is the most common crash type, accounting for 20 per cent of claims with AAMI. More than one quarter (27 per cent) of crashes occur in the morning, with Fridays accounting for 16 per cent of collisions.

1. Stuart Highway, Adelaide River

2. Stuart Highway, Alice Springs

Equal 3. Stuart Highway, Katherine

Equal 4^th. Stuart Highway, Berrimah

Equal 4^th. Stuart Highway, Pine Creek

Equal 4^th. Smith Street, Darwin

Equal 5^th. Bagot Road, Coconut Grove

Equal 5^th. Trower Road, Casuarina

AAMI's head of motor claims Anna Cartwright said tailgating can lead to nose-to-tail collisions, especially during peak hour traffic.

"All it takes is a split second of not having your eyes on the road, for you to miss one stop or give way sign or for you to divert your attention to something other than the road ahead, for things to go wrong," she said.

"Maintaining a good distance between you and the car in front is one of the most effective ways of keeping yourself and others safe. It also allows additional time to stop if the car in front suddenly brakes."