A report by Australian Road Assessment Program released by the Victorian Government has found that Campaspe Shire is riddled with risky roads.
The program assesses major state arterial and highway networks safety using factors such as traffic volume, speed limits and road design, assigning a star rating from one to five.
Star ratings represent the risk of fatal or serious injury for a road user.
The highest rated, and safest road in the shire, according to the report, is a stretch of the Northern Hwy between Echuca and Rochester.
The stretch of highway between Whinfield and Middleton Rds has been classified as five-star, despite the Northern Hwy’s notorious reputation for accidents.
At the other end of the scale, if you were headed five minutes out of Kyabram towards Shepparton you would find yourself driving on the riskiest road in the shire.
A dangerous section of Lancaster Rd, specifically a 500-metre stretch after the Weller Rd intersection, has earned a worrying 1.9-star safety rating.
Similarly, drivers would need to be careful driving to Rushworth, as a 20km stretch along Rushworth-Tatura Rd has earned itself a 1.9-star rating as well.
Riskiest roads by town
Rushworth: Rushworth-Tatura Rd - 1.9-star rating
Echuca: Murray Valley Hwy - 2.1-star rating
Kyabram: Lancaster Rd - 2.1-star rating
Rochester: Webb Rd - 2.3-star rating
Lockington: Lockington Rd - 2.3-star rating
Tongala: Henderson Rd - 2.7-star rating
Girgarre: Curr Rd - 2.7-star rating
Stanhope: Midland Hwy - 2.7-star rating
Gunbower: Murray Valley Hwy - 2.8-star rating
RACV head of policy James Williams said the RACV wanted all major roads to be upgraded to a minimum of a three-star rating.
“Each additional star rating halves the risk of deaths or serious injuries,” Mr Williams said.
“Upgrading a road from two stars to three stars halves the number of serious crashes likely to occur.
“If we can lift the safety rating of our road network, we can make a real difference to the number and severity of crashes.”
Find out more about the risky roads near you by visiting AusRAP’s interactive map at tinyurl.com/4tp9h4yx
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