The 10 most dangerous intersections in Adelaide

Posted 16 December, 2023 Andrew Rasch

You may know a few intersections around town that make you nervous when you drive through them, but does the data support your uneasy feeling?

RAA has analysed Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) crash data from 2018–2022 and found Adelaide’s 10 worst casualty crash intersections. See if any you use are on the list.

Where are the worst intersections?

The Marion Road and Sturt Road junction is the worst intersection for casualty crashes. Between 2018 and 2022, there were 40 crashes at this intersection where at least one person was injured. Of these crashes, 78 per cent were attributed to vehicles approaching from the north or south along Marion Road.

The second and third worst were the Main North Road and Regency Road intersection, and the Curtis Road and Peachey Road junction, with 33 casualty crashes each.

Main North Road featured three times in the list of the top 10 worst casualty crash intersections. Many of these intersections see more than 65,000 vehicles a day, which reflects the growing population in the northern suburbs.

What does RAA say?

RAA Senior Manager of Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain says the high number of casualty crashes is an important reminder to take extra care at intersections.

“Some of Adelaide’s worst intersections for casualty crashes are also some of our busiest, so we are therefore urging drivers to concentrate when driving through or turning at any of the intersections”, Charles says.

Of the 18 intersections with 20 or more casualty crashes over the past five years, three are on the remaining 10km section of the North-South Corridor (T2D), which highlights the opportunity to significantly improve safety once this project is completed.

“It’s good to see that five of the top 10 casualty crash intersections have either recently been upgraded or are the subject of a planning study or impending upgrade”, Charles says.

“The second-worst intersection at Main North Road and Regency Road, for example, is currently undergoing planning discussions and we look forward to seeing the outcome.

Since 2021, we’ve also seen works undertaken at a number of the other intersections on the list, which are all positive improvements.”

RAA has previously advocated for further upgrades to be made to Curtis Road, to improve safety and relieve congestion in the northern suburbs, as part of its annual State Budget submissions.

An intersection safety tip from RAA

Make a habit of checking to the left and right before you enter an intersection, even if the traffic light is green. If an out-of-control or red-light running vehicle is coming from the opposite direction, it might give you time to take evasive action.

Adelaide’s top 10 worst casualty crash intersections

The table below includes Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) data, sourced from the State Government’s LocationSA Map Viewer. Intersections with an asterisk (*) have been improved since 2018. For intersections with a double asterisk (**), there is an upgrade planned or a planning study underway.

Intersections with the same number of casualty crashes were ranked based on the severity of the crashes.