Some of the busiest roads in Whittlesea and Hume are also among Melbourne’s riskiest according to the RACV.
RACV’s new road safety map uses a globally recognised risk-rating system to help authorities identify safety upgrades to reduce road deaths and injury.
The Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP) road safety star ratings covers major arterial and highway networks in metropolitan and regional Victoria and rates sections of roads between one to five stars with a lower star rating identifying a road as more dangerous.
According to the interactive map, vehicles travel 4.3 million kilometres per year on Childs Road between Mill Park and Lalor. The road scored a 2.9 star rating after four fatal crashes between 2019-2023.
Cooper Street in Lalor scored a 2.7 star rating, with 8.5 million vehicle kilometres a year and 12 fatal and serious injury crashes in the same period.
Further north, newly upgraded Epping Road in Wollert received a 1.9 star safety rating, with 6.4 million vehicle kilometres annually and had 10 fatal and serious injury crashes in the five year period.
Craigieburn Road into Yuroke scored a 1.4 star safety rating, among the lowest in the state. The major road carries almost 12 million vehicle kilometres a year, with eight fatal and serious injury crashes occurring between 2019-2023.
RACV head of policy James Williams said the new ratings highlighted where investment should be prioritised.
“Each additional star rating halves the risk of deaths or serious injuries,” Mr Williams said.
“AusRAP gives governments the data they need to invest with a safety-first perspective.”
The ratings come as road upgrades and safety concerns dominate local debate in the north, with the widening of Epping road in Wollert continuing and residents of Whittlesea petitioning for council to address safety concerns along Findon Road and at the joining intersection of Maserati Drive.
RACV is calling for all major Victorian roads to be upgraded to at least a three-star safety rating, with new roads built to a four-star standard.
Explore the interactive safety map online at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/98420a25d82542f1b2a9922925972c28?item=1.
