An 11km stretch of State Highway 6 between Frankton and Arrow Junction is on a list of 10 regional highways the AA would like the Government to spend more money on in order to improve safety.
Between 2012 and last year, crashes on the road resulted in one fatality, 10 serious injuries and 37 minor injuries.
AA motoring affairs general manager Mike Noon said it was calling on transport agencies to commit to upgrades that would lift 150km of two-star rated national and regional roads to three-star every year.
``Drivers will still make mistakes, but the consequences of those mistakes will be less.''
The stretch of SH6 on its list was ``heavily trafficked'', with nearly 12,000 vehicles a day, Mr Noon said.
Although the NZ Transport Agency was focused on improving key routes in Wakatipu, it was in ``catch-up mode''.
``I think everyone's been a little caught out by the growth.
``There's been a lot of focus in the last few years on our big motorways, and that's been absolutely necessary, but we've got some rural roads which we don't think are up to the mark.''
Ranging from five stars for the safest roads to one star for the least safe, the road safety ratings used by the AA are determined by factors such as the width of lanes and shoulders, the number of power poles, ditches and intersections, and the presence of safety barriers.
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult lives about halfway along the stretch of highway on the AA's list.
Mr Boult said emergency service vehicles often rushed past his house, and his first thought was always that there had been a crash.
Traffic on the area's main roads had increased by about 45% in the past three years, and the council had been advocating for improvements for some time.
``In fairness to NZTA, that level of growth has been something of a surprise, and there's a bit of catch-up to go here.
``I'm heartened by some work that NZTA's done. There is now a general buy-in to fixing the road at the Frankton end.''
The speed limit between the Stalker Rd roundabout and Frankton had been reduced to 80kmh earlier this year, and he hoped that improvements to the Tuckers Beach Rd intersection would start by the end of the year.
According to the AA list, the most dangerous regional highway in New Zealand is SH22 from Drury to Pukekohe. There were three deaths, 19 serious injuries and 44 minor injuries in crashes on the road between 2012 and last year.
