EXCLUSIVE
JANE HANSEN


THE CBD is the most dangerous place to drive as it is the most likely place for a car crash, according to exclusive data from the NRMA.

The postcode of 2000 reported the most collisions in the past two years followed by the areas of Blacktown, Bankstown and Liverpool.

The data also shows that, on average, drivers under 25 are involved in 9 per cent of all collisions in NSW, which is the highest proportion.

The second-highest proportion of drivers is the 71 to 75-year age bracket, who are involved in 8 per cent.

“Some of the most common accident spots are major intersections, vehicles merging lanes and during the busy peak-hour periods,” NRMA direct claims manager Luke Gallagher said.

The data was based on insurance claims over the past 24 months.

Time of day is also a factor borne out in the figures with afternoons accounting for almost 40 per cent of all crashes.

“Our NRMA Insurance accident data shows us that peak times for collisions are at 11am and 3pm, with Thursday and Friday having the highest number of collisions,” Mr Gallagher said.


Road safety expert and crash investigator Professor Raphael Grzebieta said the CBD speed limit should be reduced to 40km/h, as it is in Melbourne, to address the issue.

“There is a very clear connection between speed and serious injury and people ignore the speed limit in and around the CBD.

“We have been proposing the default speed limit should be 40km/h,” he said.

For drivers under 25, the CBD still tops the list but the next five areas are in Sydney’s West – Liverpool, Bankstown, Blacktown, Penrith and Parramatta.

Perhaps a reflection of where people are retiring, Port Macquarie recorded the most collisions for the over-75s and Coffs Harbour comes in third.

Castle Hill accounts for the most collisions in that age group in the Sydney area.

“For youngest drivers it is often a speed thing but for older drivers over 71, as you get older, your eyesight and your hearing start to deteriorate and a lot of these accidents happen at intersections where they are not seeing the other car coming,” Professor Grzebieta said.


“But there are so many older people here, it’s a retirement area, so I think it’s a numbers game.”

According to NSW Centre for Road Safety there has been 28 fatalities in the Sydney metro region so far this year, 22 fatalities on country urban roads and 35 fatalities on country roads outside urban centres.

The safest drivers according to the NRMA data are aged between 66 and 70 years old who accounted for only 4 per cent of collisions.

“That makes sense as they are calmer and have seen it all and don’t see the point in rushing or being aggressive,” he said. 

You can pick 'em on the highways, especially during high usage times like holidays... they can't just use the wide open spaces of a highway but just have to 'shoal' into a compressed group like they were on Parramatta Road peak hour - then wonder why, when one thing goes wrong, there is a multiple crash at 100+ kph.  Or they hog the right lane at 95 in a 110 zone and wonder why people are irate.... or they tail gate without thought because that's the Sydney distance... four feet from the car in front at 110kph and a sudden stop, or they sit beside a truck instead of overtaking it safely and getting out of the way and suffer terror from sitting beside the truck... FFS...

Should not be allowed on highways without special testing and training.

I like a football field in front and one behind at 110kph, and nobody beside me.... how often do I ride along at 110kph on cruise control with open space all around to have some dick come up fast behind and then sit in my 'wing' like they are traveling home in peak hour without overtaking while I come up on a slow moving vehicle in front of me in the left lane and then have to figure out what to do instead of just being able to coast along at the legal speed ...... it's so irritating and no wonder some get killed.