Why the Mitchell Freeway sees so many crashes and breakdowns
The Mitchell Freeway is about 41.5 kilometres long. It starts at the northern end of the Narrows Bridge, where it carries on from the Kwinana Freeway, and runs north through Leederville, Osborne Park, Duncraig and Joondalup to Romeo Road in Alkimos. Every junction is a grade-separated interchange, so there are no traffic lights, but that also means speeds stay high: 100 km/h for most of the route and 80 km/h through central Perth.
The southern end is where most of the trouble is. In RAC WA’s 2025 Risky Roads survey, which drew more than 18,000 nominations, the Mitchell Freeway in West Perth was voted the riskiest metro road in Perth. Nominators pointed to a confusing layout and little chance to change lanes. In the 2022 survey the same area came second, with RAC noting that multiple merge lanes cause confusion as the Mitchell becomes the Kwinana.
Further north the freeway has three to five lanes each way as far as Hepburn Avenue, then mostly two lanes, widening to three between Hodges Drive and Shenton Avenue. The Yanchep line runs down the median for much of the way. Morning and afternoon peaks bring stop-start traffic, and stop-start traffic at freeway speed means rear-end crashes. Add the usual overheating, tyre blowouts and flat batteries, and the freeway keeps tow trucks busy every day of the week.
What to do after an accident on the Mitchell Freeway
- Get out of the traffic. If both cars can move, steer to the left shoulder or take the next exit. If a car can’t move, leave it, switch on the hazard lights and get everyone behind the barrier.
- Call 000 if anyone is hurt or if there is danger, such as a car stuck across a live lane or fuel on the road. For police help that isn’t an emergency, the WA Police number is 131 444.
- Swap names and addresses with the other driver. WA law requires this. It’s also worth noting their rego, insurer and phone number.
- Photograph everything before the cars are moved if you can do so safely: damage, plates, lane markings and the nearest exit sign.
- Report it if the rules require it. In WA you must report a crash to police if anyone is injured, if total damage is more than $3,000, or if the owner of damaged property isn’t there. Most people do this through the online crash reporting facility linked from the WA Government’s crash reporting page.
When you’re ready to move the car, our accident towing team will clear it from the freeway, and our insurance towing process means we can bill your insurer directly.
Suburbs along the Mitchell Freeway
From the city end, the freeway passes the Perth CBD and West Perth before heading through Leederville and Osborne Park. Further north it runs past Duncraig and through the Joondalup city centre, then on to Clarkson and its current end in Alkimos.
How we help
We tow off the Mitchell Freeway 24 hours a day, every day. With more than 10 trucks working across Perth, we can usually get one heading your way quickly, whether you’re in the city or near the northern end. We bill your insurer directly and take your car to the repairer of your choice. Call 0419 857 070 and tell us your direction and nearest interchange.