8 Of Australia's Most Dangerous Roads |
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Peter Righter
September 15, 2011
Almost any road can be considered dangerous due to poor driving; especially busier highways in and around cities. There are, however, roads where traffic conditions, road design and surroundings act in concert to make them unusually dangerous.
1. Snowy River Road, Snowy River National Park, Victoria Snowy River Road winds its way toward the NSW border, running approximately 17km northwest from the tiny mountain town of Suggan Buggan. With unsecured mountainsides and sheer drop-offs to either side, driving on this narrow gravel road is particularly dangerous.
2. Old Coast Road, Wannanup to Lake Clifton, Western Australia Despite a bypass being built to divert traffic away from this section of highway, this section of the old coast road is still somewhat of an accident black-spot, having a 2 star "red" rating by the Australian Road Assessment Program. This stretch of road has earned the nickname "Old Ghost Road" for the number of fatal accidents that have occurred.
3. Great Ocean Road - Victoria Regarded by many as a world class drive, the Great Ocean Road can take unskilled drivers unaware with its many sharp corners and distracting natural beauty. Tourists, with whom this road is very popular, should take extra care. The terrain through which the road runs can also represent a danger; overhanging cliffs on one stretch collapsed in January 2011 due to heavy rain.
4. Alpine Way, New South Wales Heading southwest from Jindabyne through the Kosciuzko National Park, Alpine Way features some challenging corners, steep gradients and wicked switchbacks, especially on the approach to Dead Horse Gap as the road crosses the Great Dividing Range.
5. Barton Highway, New South Wales In part due to the volume of Canberra commuter traffic using it, where the four lane section of the Barton Highway narrows to two lanes in NSW has a terrible accident record with 110 crashes since 2001, of which 11 resulted in fatalities.
6. Mount Nebo Road & Mount Glorious Road, Queensland Mount Nebo and Mount Glorious roads feature numerous sharp corners and switchbacks and with Brisbane only 30km away, these challenging roads are very popular with driving enthusiasts and bikers. Unfortunately, accidents are very common, occurring on a near weekly basis. Rainfall makes these roads especially slick and dangerous, as does fluid spilled from earlier accidents.
7. Cape Tribulation Road / Bloomfield Track, Queensland Between Port Douglas and Bloomfield, drivers need to negotiate not only narrow winding curves, but also manage creek crossings. Beyond Cape Tribulation, the road becomes so difficult that high clearance and four wheel drive are necessary. While crossing creeks, it is possible for vehicles to be swept away after heavy rains.
8. Bruce Highway, Queensland On the 64km stretch between Cooroy and Curra, the Bruce Highway has seen an incredible 840 crashes, with 56 fatalities and over 300 injured since 2000. Due to the unforgiving design and surroundings of this road, even preventative measures such as intelligent signage, reduced speed limits and metal barriers have done nothing to improve the dreadful statistics.
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