Report names Australia's deadliest highways

[Jim Goose]

Queensland's Bruce Highway has been named as one of Australia's most dangerous stretches of major road in a new survey carried out by a leading motoring group.

The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) analysed the traffic, death and serious injury statistics for the 20,000 kilometres of national highways.

The study confirmed the reputation of the Bruce Highway - which snakes for 1,550 kilometres along the Queensland coast from Brisbane to the state's north - as a major danger spot for motorists.

It found the Bruce Highway saw the highest level of road trauma on the Queensland national highway network, accounting for 50 per cent of casualty crashes and 61 per cent of deaths from 2005 to 2009.

The report says the highway accounted for more than 17 per cent of deaths on the entire national network.

Others that rated poorly include stretches of the Great Western Highway in New South Wales, the Princes Highway East in Victoria, Western Australia's Great Eastern Highway, Tasmania's Midland Highway and the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory.

Much of the Bruce Highway was given a safety risk of medium-high or high.

But the AAA report says almost one in five highways across the country pose a high risk to drivers.

"[The Bruce Highway] is the most dangerous of the national highways in the country, and at about 40 deaths a year on average it is a serious issue the Government needs to step up and improve," RACQ spokesman Michael Roth said.

But the report showed highway deaths had decreased, with 1,170 people dying on national highways between 2005 and 2009 compared to 1,200 in the previous five years.

The report rates 23 per cent of highways as low risk, up from 15 per cent in the last report in 2007, and 17 per cent of highways as high risk, down from 23 per cent.

"Some progress has been achieved to improve the national highway network," AAA executive director Andrew McKellar said in a statement.

"Despite the improved results, it is important the community must not become complacent about road safety, with governments and motorists taking shared responsibility for their actions."

The AAA says smaller highways and links are over-represented in the statistics and they should be improved by installing barriers as well as tactile edge lines to alert drivers who stray off the road.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-1...ghways/3782590

[buggo]

Nothing a few safety cameras won't fix.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by buggo_gt

Nothing a few safety $$$$$ cameras won't fix.

Fixed for truth

[GULL]

Originally Posted by buggo_gt

Nothing a few safety cameras won't fix.

1 every 2 k's me thinks.that will make sooooooooooooooooooooo safe

[vanman_75]

roads dont make it unsafe ...drivers do .

[Ford_The_Win]

Not suprised the Bruce Hwy made it to the top, for a major road network it's atrocious.

[buggo]

Originally Posted by GULL

1 every 2 k's me thinks.that will make sooooooooooooooooooooo safe

Mate I'm thinking more along the lines of point to point cameras installed every 100m on every road in Aus. Driving will be fun AND safe.

[blackf6]

Originally Posted by vanman_75

roads dont make it unsafe ...drivers do .

Yes that and the atrocious condition of parts of the bruce.

[GULL]

Originally Posted by buggo_gt

Mate I'm thinking more along the lines of point to point cameras installed every 100m on every road in Aus. Driving will be fun AND safe.

Yeah why not throw them in as well,and an rbt to mix it up,lol

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by vanman_75

roads dont make it unsafe ...drivers do .

except for the pot holes so big the cars disappear in them.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by vanman_75

roads dont make it unsafe ...drivers do .

I'm sorry, but driving along a narrow single lane each way highway at 100 to 110kph, "sharing" the road with B doubles and triples (which we were assured years ago would be "restricted to outback areas and never major highways), huge gum trees five meters off the roadside, and wheel destroying potholes, the roads do play a massive factor.
Oh I suppose with perfect 20/20 hindsight you can say that if someone didn't make a mistake they wouldn't have died...but the road design should be such that if you make a slight mistake you shouldn't have to pay with your life.

Everyone in Queenslad knows that, in the eyes of the Transport Department and government, that Queensland stops and nothing exists north of Noosa...and fnds the roads accordingly. A couple of hundred million to fix black spots and atrocious potholes and bad road design between, especially, Gin Gin and Mackay? Nah...we'd rather spend acouple of billion putting more tunnels under Brisbane and new highways for the Gold Coast...

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

I'm sorry, but driving along a narrow single lane each way highway at 100 to 110kph, "sharing" the road with B doubles and triples (which we were assured years ago would be "restricted to outback areas and never major highways), huge gum trees five meters off the roadside, and wheel destroying potholes, the roads do play a massive factor.
Oh I suppose with perfect 20/20 hindsight you can say that if someone didn't make a mistake they wouldn't have died...but the road design should be such that if you make a slight mistake you shouldn't have to pay with your life.

Everyone in Queenslad knows that, in the eyes of the Transport Department and government, that Queensland stops and nothing exists north of Noosa...and fnds the roads accordingly. A couple of hundred million to fix black spots and atrocious potholes and bad road design between, especially, Gin Gin and Mackay? Nah...we'd rather spend acouple of billion putting more tunnels under Brisbane and new highways for the Gold Coast...

Stop stop stop.... your making sense.

[vanman_75]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

I'm sorry, but driving along a narrow single lane each way highway at 100 to 110kph, "sharing" the road with B doubles and triples (which we were assured years ago would be "restricted to outback areas and never major highways), huge gum trees five meters off the roadside, and wheel destroying potholes, the roads do play a massive factor.
Oh I suppose with perfect 20/20 hindsight you can say that if someone didn't make a mistake they wouldn't have died...but the road design should be such that if you make a slight mistake you shouldn't have to pay with your life.

Everyone in Queenslad knows that, in the eyes of the Transport Department and government, that Queensland stops and nothing exists north of Noosa...and fnds the roads accordingly. A couple of hundred million to fix black spots and atrocious potholes and bad road design between, especially, Gin Gin and Mackay? Nah...we'd rather spend acouple of billion putting more tunnels under Brisbane and new highways for the Gold Coast...

Hey I agree the road is ordinary ( to say the least ...but the beef roads worse as are so many others ) but its just a road .
I drive it regularly and would say that it causes me no issues , but as spoken about on here so often ...people in a hurry / people not concentrating on the road / poor driver skills / etc etc . No its not the 60s...but how do these people go when they see a dirt road .

I will never use the road surface as an excuse for an accident , some of the brainless drivers in this country is quiet astounding .I have always driven to conditions /drivers around me .
Maybe everyone should try that before blaming the road .

The Bruce is long overdue for a 4 lane top to bottom , everyone knows that .drive safe