The number of trams crashing into pedestrians and cars is the highest it has been in the past five years - and growing congestion on our roads is to blame.

Pedestrians have been hit by trams with increasing frequency: the number of reported incidents shot up from 35 in 2014 to 51 last year, the state's transport safety watchdog, Transport Safety Victoria, has revealed.

A truck at tram crash on Sydney road and Baxter street last year. Credit:Jason South

Two pedestrians died in a crash involving a tram in 2018, marking the first death since 2014 when one pedestrian died in a collision with a tram.

Mobile phones and headphones are considered some of the biggest distractions for pedestrians, who sometimes don't see or hear a tram coming.