Getting caught in the worst accident blackspots in New South Wales is a nightmare for anyone heading out on holiday.
The worst accident blackspots in New South Wales feature primarily along major highways including the Hume Highway, Pacific Highway and the M4 in Sydney.
Passing through an accident blackspot doesn’t mean you‘re on a dangerous road. Many of these are hardly dangerous. Instead, the area might suffer from high traffic volumes or a poorly designed junction.
However, knowing where the hazard zones are makes drivers aware of where to be careful when out on the road. So just where are the worst accident blackspots in New South Wales?
The worst accident blackspots in New South Wales revealed
Victoria Road, West Ryde
Linking North and West Sydney, Victoria Road is one of the main arterial roads in the Greater Sydney area. This is particularly true for the stretch passing through West Ryde. The road itself isn’t particularly tricky. However, the route passes through both residential and commercial areas with daily high volumes of traffic.
With numerous major junctions, it increases the risk of smashes daily. In a 2023 Suncorp report, the road was ranked the fifth worst for crashes in Sydney. It also has become a dangerous spot for collisions with pedestrians. This was underlined by a 2006 Ryde Council report that highlighted the area suffered an average of 8 pedestrian/vehicle collisions annually. It’s these risk factors that make it one of the worst accident blackspots in New South Wales.
M4 Highway, Eastern Creek
Few roads in New South Wales are busier than the M4 Highway in Sydney. The stretch of the Western Highway in Eastern Creek has earned a notable reputation for traffic and accidents. It’s not surprising given that the road has major junctions with both the Westlink toll road as well as the Prospect Highway in the vicinity of the suburb.
With several high-profile junctions, it makes the area a potential magnet for accidents. So much so, that this stretch of road was named the 10th worst stretch for accidents in 2023 throughout Sydney. Given that the area is also home to major sports venues such as Sydney Motorsport Park, there’s never a quiet moment on this major road.
Pacific Highway, Turramurra
The Pacific Highway roars across NSW’s picturesque coastline. Yet some of its more urban stretches are amazingly some of its most notorious. Take the stretch that runs through the heart of Sydney’s North Shore in Turramurra. This unsuspecting road snakes its way around the suburb crossing through the heart of residential zones.
Being a major link for tourists heading out of Sydney, this stretch of road has become particularly tricky to avoid accidents on. This came mainly due to the road narrowing close to Sydney’s CBD causing huge bottlenecks. The road averages 60,000 vehicles daily passing through making it particularly busy. It’s why the area is known for being one of the worst accident blackspots in New South Wales.
Hume Highway, Goulburn
Goulburn has grown into one of NSW’s major road rest steps thanks to its place on the Hume Highway. Attracting traffic from Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, the town is not just a haven for rest – but also for attracting accidents. This comes particularly near the junction of the Hume Highway to the Federal Highway.
One of the worst accident blackspots in regional NSW, the Hume around Goulburn has become particularly notorious for causing holidaymakers to bother. The mix of tourists, residents and large farm vehicles has increased the potential for accidents around the town. It’s why it has become one of the most notorious stretches of road linking Melbourne to Sydney and is often the focus of road safety campaigns.
Hume Highway, Yagoona
As the Hume Highway snakes through Sydney, it becomes a major pinch point for traffic – both commercial and industrial. This is particularly true as it passes through inner suburbs like Yagoona. It’s here where the heavy flow of traffic increases the potential risk of traffic.
Within this small stretch of road, the Hume Highway goes through several major intersections. This includes direct passing junctions at Richmond Road and around Marsden Park. This was listed as the fifth worst spot for crashes in NSW in 2022 – particularly due to basic nose-to-tail crashes. With weekly traffic averaging 360,000 vehicles, it’s no wonder the risk of accidents is always lurking in the background.
M4 Freeway, Parramatta
It’s not surprising to see that busy intersections are always an accident magnet. One of the worst examples of this is the M4 Freeway as it winds through Parramatta. Parramatta has grown into one of Sydney’s biggest regions – with major infrastructure developing through the suburb. This increase brings an added risk of traffic – and danger.
The major pinch-point here comes is where the M4 meets Parramatta Road – one of the major arterial suburban roads in Western Sydney. With such a prominent feature in the area, it often is the site of accidents. So much so that this junction was the second worst spot for accidents in New South Wales for 2023. This makes it a place where all drivers need to be wary at all times of day given its constantly busy state.
Pennant Hills Road, Pennant Hills
Traffic is never easy to negotiate. With the increase in traffic comes the added risk of accidents. Pennant Hills Road is one such example of this. This stretch of road – which turns into the Cumberland Highway – is one of Sydney’s busiest roads. What this means is that accident risks are never far away.
It’s why the road has earned a reputation for being one of the worst accident blackspots in New South Wales. This was underlined by a 2020 report that named Pennant Hills Road as the 2nd and 3rd worst accident blackspots in Sydney. The stretch within Pennant Hills was particularly bad usurping stretches further down in Carlingwood. This means that tourists or residents always need to be wary when heading down this major road in suburban Sydney.
Pacific Highway, Chatswood
For anyone heading north out of Sydney, there’s a good chance you will head down the Chatswood section of the Pacific. No matter if you’re a resident or a tourist heading to Brisbane or Newcastle, this road will be on your itinerary. High volumes of traffic mean a high risk of accidents.
And that’s not surprising given that it is one of the busiest roads in the Sydney area. It also means it is one of the worst for accidents too. This is particularly true around Chatswood Interchange linking the Pacific Highway with Fullers Road. So always keep your wit about when passing through this stretch of Sydney’s North Shore.
Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour is one of NSW’s fastest-growing cities. Thanks to huge growth in local infrastructure and tourism, the Pacific Highway is always busy through the city of 80,000 people. However, the road around it has not evolved to cope with the huge rise in numbers using the road.
On average, 38,000 vehicles daily use the Pacific Highway through the city’s limits. Yet the road has not been widened and motorists have to negotiate roundabout and traffic lights when driving through Coffs Harbour. The nature of the road has led to numerous accidents and damage costing the city approximately $ 55 million to routinely fix in the 2010s. The situation could soon be resolved with the Coffs Harbour Bypass due to open in 2027. Once that is flowing, it should help this stretch of road avoid being one of the worst accident blackspots in New South Wales.
Hume Highway, Liverpool
No road in New South Wales has a reputation quite like the Hume Highway in Liverpool. Being the first major suburban entry point into Sydney from the south, it attracts a huge range of traffic – both residential and commercial. Yet that doesn’t take into account the wealth of facilities in the area – including Westfield Liverpool & Liverpool Hospital.
The junction with Elizabeth Street has grown into one of the worst spots for accidents nationwide. It was ranked the worst area for crashes between 2014 and 2024 by AAMI in NSW and was second nationally. With high levels of traffic and local amenities, it’s not hard to see why it is the worst accident blackspot in New South Wales.
.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, there’s always a small risk of an accident when out on the roads. These factors multiply when you add traffic and major junctions into the mix. However, due caution helps avoid the risk of accidents happening. So always take caution and extra care when driving. This will help you avoid the chance of having drama at any of the worst accident blackspots in New South Wales on your next trip.
Before heading off on your next trip, Dealify Car Finance can offer you unbeatable deals, customised to your needs,and help avoid the worst accident blackspots in New South Wales .
Our award-winning team of car finance lending experts are ready to serve you. Call us on 1300 28 57 67 or email approvals@dealify.au today, so you can drive safely even through the worst accident blackspots in New South Wales.
