A major new survey of motorists has identified the most dangerous roads in the Northern Territory and most grey nomads won’t be surprised to learn that the Stuart Highway features prominently.
The Automobile Association of the Northern Territory (AANT) asked Territorians to vote in its new Risky Road survey in order to help identify the NT’s most dangerous and frustrating roads and intersections.
The responses highlighted three areas of concern: the Stuart Highway, Bagot/Trower Roads and regional/remote highways.
The AANT said that the 1500km-plus Stuart Highway rated in the top rankings of all sections of the report.
“It is probably safe to say that the Stuart Highway continues to have a disproportionately high casualty crash and fatality rate,” the report concluded.
AANT’s outgoing CEO, Anthony Hill said that, as well as offering opportunity the opportunity to identify the most dangerous areas, the survey also gave them an opportunity to offer guidance on how to improve things.
“Overall, Territorians felt that dangerous road design accounted for 42% of issues and road surface accounted for 23% of issues,” Mr Hill said. “The biggest issue for urban roads and intersections was road design with 46% and, for remote roads, it was road surface with 39% … these are the biggest contributing factors to safety conditions on our roads.”
He said that all road users must be able to feel safe while driving at safe speeds and be able to avoid unnecessary risk on the road.
“We are very concerned that many of the outback unsealed roads appear not to be graded regularly and this is reflected most clearly in the comments around Remote Road nominations 3 and 5 – Buchanan Highway and Gorrie River, where nominees have been forthright: ‘Fix it now’, ‘Totally dangerous’, ‘Actually do something about it’,” Mr Hill said. “Given that the Towards Zero 10-year statistics show that 73% of deaths occur on rural roads, it would be prudent to improve regional and remote roads, even if it was through more frequent grading.”
In 2020, 424 people were injured and 31 people lost their lives on Northern Territory roads. The NT has a road toll three to four times the national average. 24% of deaths are under 25 years, 50% are Indigenous and 85% are Territory residents.
What is the speed limit on the Sturt?? 130kmh … ???? I rest my case.
Care to cite the accidents in the 130 zones to back that up?
Going to sleep, alcohol, wildlife, lack of seatbelts, sleeping on road, etc feature frequently. Just remember that the Stuart Hwy starts in the Darwin CBD and passes right through Katherine, Tennant Ck, Alice Springs, and many smaller towns and other places in the NT and SA which do have much smaller speed limits for urban areas and accidents in those places can also be listed as Stuart Hwy related.
The 130 stretches get a bad wrap without evidence to back it up.
Vehicles in legally roadworthy condition registered and driven competently by a appropriately licensed driver do not have a problem driving at 130kmh. Vehicles and vans restricted to 100kmh should not break that limit – even though it is a long haul.
Stuart Highway in the NT.
Queensland should conduct a similar survey.
You have got to be joking when you apportion the “blame” for accidents on the roads. It is the drivers that are at fault most of the time. The carnage on the roads will continue as long as we keep making bird brained (apologies to all birds) excuses for our own stupid behavior. The road or the intersection is not driving the car.
Neville you have identified the real problem, as with most things we, humans will find something else to BLAME , its never us , its always the other thing, person, vehicles may become fully driverless but not yet, I’ve had a couple accidents over the years and each one was my own issue
Totally agree with you Neville. As a long term nomad (13 years) it is not the road that causes accidents, but the people that think they can go onto any road and travel at speed. It just doesn’t work like that. All of the roads in this country are safe but only if you drive to suit the conditions. Something that totally scares me is that on occasion I have been travelling on a major highway at the posted speed not towing a van (110kph) and being passed by some dimwit towing a large caravan
What people need to understand is that total disaster is a heartbeat away when it all goes pearshaped
If you are going to show a dangerous road, please be correct and not show where some dickhead has done a couple of burnouts as the lead image appears. I am happy to be corrected !!!
We have just finished port Augusta to Darwin and return over 6 weeks and have not had a problem with this road at all,nor with b triples we talk to them as we see them they know the roads better than us. We do notice very much so that a lot more of the newer travellers are in such a hurry to get there and not enjoy the drive
The road surface and width along the Stuart Highway are very good, the speed limit of 130 was not a problem as most people did not go that fast during our recent 6 week holiday to NT. The biggest problem we found was the lack of passing zones along much of the Stuart Highway. This problem was exacerbated by the number of groups of close together caravans all going about 80, which caused frustration for other drivers.
As a long term user of the entire length of the Stuart Hwy going back to the mid 70’s for work and play this is my opinion.
There are quite a number of passing lanes between Darwin and Katherine, but as to the rest right down to Pt Augusta there are almost unlimited passing lanes and is called “the other side of the road”.
There are a few stretches of winding road but in the overall time it takes to drive the Highway the hold up times are generally minimal. Convoys of travelers are not a road problem, they are a driver behaviour problem and do need calling out for it. There is though a maintenance issue, particularly at the George Redmond Crossing at Newcastle Waters which is finally to be dealt with.
As I said, my opinion, but maybe because I’ve experienced it when it was narrow bitumen down to Alice and with 900km of dirt south of the border.
Caravaners should travel a safe distance apart so other road users can get around instead of traveling along like a monster road train.
I have done a lot of travel throughout the NT for work and it continues to amaze me that people have come to the NT for the amazing scenery but insist on only being able to see the rear of the caravan in front! You can’t exactly get lost up here as there a very few roads to turn off onto. Be safe and have a greater distance apart and make arrangements with your fellow travellers regarding where you are going to stop, or use the common method of not proceeding until the person following you can see where you are going.
Just travelled in parts of Limmen National Park which is part of the Savannah Way. Some sections are so severely corrugated, especially between Towns River and Tomato Island. I would not advise families with little babies to go through there ATM until it is graded, as it would be bad for their heads and necks. However, there is now a grader starting on some parts of this road.
Ban “B” dubs, our roads are not made for such heavy vehicles causing significant damage to Road Surfaces making the surface unsafe for your every day car or SUV.