Australia’s most treacherous car crash site has been identified through analysis of close to 400,000 insurance claims lodged across the country in 2025.
The 2026 AAMI Crash Index highlights Springvale Road in Glen Waverley, Victoria as “Australia’s No.1 crash hotspot” at the same time calling out mornings and Fridays as “peak prang periods nationally”.
Victoria, more specifically Melbourne, accounted for nine of the national top 10 sites listed, with Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford in Sydney’s north-west the only outlier.
The index analysed more than 394,000 motor insurance claims lodged across Australia between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
And the data has highlighted clear similarities across these high frequency crash locations: busy arterial roads, traffic lights, major intersections, shopping precincts, car parks and heavy stop-start traffic.
In announcing the results AAMI said, “These are roads where congestion, merging traffic, turning vehicles and momentary lapses in concentration create the perfect conditions for everyday driving mistakes.”
And tellingly, Springvale Road, Glen Waverley has knocked off Plenty Road, Bundoora in Melbourne’s north-east as Australia’s No.1 crash hotspot for the first time in eight years.
Unsurprisingly, nose-to-tail impacts remain the most common type of collision, followed by failure to give way and collisions with stationary objects.
Top 10 crash hotspots
| Location | Worst intersection | Most common crash type | |
| 1 | Springvale Road, Glen Waverley, Vic | Springvale Road & Ferntree Gully Road | Nose-to-tail |
| 2 | Plenty Road, Bundoora, Vic | Plenty Road & Settlement Road | Nose-to-tail |
| 3 | Doncaster Road, Doncaster, Vic | Doncaster Road & Elgar Road | Failure to give way |
| 4 | Maroondah Highway, Ringwood, Vic | Maroondah Highway & Dublin Road | Nose-to-tail |
| 5 | Sydney Road, Campbellfield, Vic | Sydney Road & Mahoneys Road | Nose-to-tail |
| 6 | Bell Street, Preston, Vic | Bell Street & Albert Street | Nose-to-tail |
| 7 | Cooper Street, Epping, Vic | Cooper Street & High Street | Nose-to-tail |
| 8 | Nepean Highway, Cheltenham, Vic | Nepean Highway & Bay Road | Nose-to-tail |
| 9 | Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford, NSW | Pennant Hills Road & Evans Road | Nose-to-tail |
| 10 | Stud Road, Rowville, Vic | Stud Road & Wellington Road | Nose-to-tail |
While Melbourne dominated the national Top 10, the rest of the country didn't receive a free pass, with the following locations having the dubious honour of topping their home state or territory.
- Melbourne: Accounts for nine of the national Top 10.
- Sydney: Pennant Hills Road in Carlingford ranked ninth nationally.
- 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.
AAMI cites bad habits like following too closely, braking late, misjudging turns and failing to anticipate changing traffic conditions as common precursors to a sheet metal interface.
Announcing the index results AAMI Motor Prevention Manager Mary Kennedy said, “The 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.
“Mornings and Fridays are peak prang periods nationally, when school pick-ups, commuters, shoppers and heavy traffic all converge. It is a timely reminder to slow down mentally as much as physically, stay patient and avoid distractions.
“Whether you are driving through Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra or Darwin, the message is the same: leave a safe gap, look further ahead, take extra care at intersections and avoid rushing through busy traffic,” she said.
2026 AAMI Crash Index:
| Claims analysed | 394,000+ |
| Most common crash types: | i. Nose to tail (28 per cent) ii Failure to give way (23 per cent) iii Collision with a stationary object (22 per cent) |
| Peak crash time: | 09:30 – 13:00 |
| Worst day for crashes: | Friday |
| Drivers with the most crashes: | - Drivers aged 65yrs+ - Male drivers |
| Top vehicle makes involved in crashes: | 1 Toyota 2. Mazda 3. Hyundai 4. Ford 5. Mitsubishi |
Most common vehicle colours involved in crashes: | 1. White 2. Grey 3. Silver |
