The three-vehicle accident at the Captain Cook Highway/Port Douglas Road intersection on Friday night was the sixteenth recorded since 2008.

The accident resulted in several people being taken to Mossman District Hospital with minor injuries, while one was stretchered in for treatment.

A Port Douglas man driving a Mitsubishi Lancer turned into the path of a south-bound Holden Cruz, hitting it in the left-hand side and causing it to spin and collide with a Hyundai Getz whose driver was stationary at the intersection.

A clearly frustrated officer-in-charge of Port Douglas Police, Sergeant Damian Meadows, said of the 16 accidents, 15 were attributed to driver inattention and failing to give way.

"Time and time again it's people turning into Port Douglas Road and oncoming traffic," he said.

Alarmingly, it is local drivers who are responsible for almost two-thirds of the accidents at the notorious intersection.

"Of the 16, ten were local (drivers who were at fault)," Sergeant Meadows said. "The majority of traffic accidents happen when they're close to home."

Sergeant Meadows said the one accident not attributed to driver error was caused by break failure. The drive chose to career into a tree rather than risk injury to other drivers.

State Member for Cook, David Kempton, has promised a roundabout to be built at the intersection, and while this would reduce the seriousness of accidents at the site, Sergeant Meadows said accidents could not be avoided altogether.

"From a policing perspective, roundabouts don't necessarily negate traffic accidents - they certainly reduce the severity of traffic accidents because they're normally at low speed.

"You end up with minor traffic accidents as a result of people's inability or knowledge to traverse roundabouts.

"But it's certainly a step forward as far as the reduction and impact of traffic accidents."

Transport and Main Roads is progressing detailed planning for a roundabout at the Port Douglas Road and Captain Cook Highway intersection.

According to a statement from the department, the decision to construct a roundabout followed "extensive community feedback which indicated strong support from local residents, business and community leaders for a roundabout instead of traffic signals."

The project is expected to be complete before Christmas, weather permitting.