But they are doing all they can to make sure that doesn’t happen because they know just how deep such trauma impacts those affected.

Western region division two road safety manager Acting Senior Sergeant Chris Asenjo still remembers the first fatal crash he was called to in which two people were killed. “That stays with me. I can still picture it in my mind, what it looks like,” he said. “I can still remember smelling the oil and the smoke.”

And it doesn’t matter how many crashes he attends, it doesn’t get any easier. “Every person who dies on the road has a story. Their story ends at that point,” he said. “Day in day out, when you get in that car you could get that call out at any time.

“And while we’re not getting those calls we’re out there trying to prevent them.”

Acting Senior Sergeant Asenjo said each emergency service organisations had roles to play.

“We all take the trauma home with us,” he said.

SES volunteer and deputy controller of operations Stephen Bakker said that despite having been to fatal accidents, there was one a while back that for some reason just got to him. 

Having to attend two fatal accidents so close together may have been what triggered a reaction.

“Just the look of the skin and the smell,” he said. “I had a flashback to the first one and thought why am I here?”

Mr Bakker was able to snap out of it by talking himself through it and telling himself he had a job to do. The support of his SES unit helped him deal with it.

He said a lot of what he has to see is quite horrific, but there are times when there is a sense of satisfaction when they can help and get someone out alive.

“Just ordinary people doing extraordinary things, you never know what your next job is going to be,” he said.

For Ambulance Victoria Warrnambool team manager Jo O’Connor-Ward there are cases that have stayed with her but it’s the ones that involve children who may have lost a parent or sibling that have had the biggest impact.

“I’ve got a good support network around me. That’s how I deal with it. I discuss with my colleagues about how I am feeling. I discuss it with my family, if I haven’t had a good day at work I might do something special with them,” she said.

“I use it as a life lesson to remind myself that when I’m driving I need to be careful.”

Ms O’Connor-Ward said one of the strategies she used to cope with death was to try to provide a bit of dignity and warmth for the deceased by thinking about how their family would treat them.

“I might put a blanket over them or a pillow under their head, if it’s appropriate and I get permission from the police to do that,” she said.

“It’s just the way I deal with it. It just makes me feel better because I am doing something for them.”

Seven people have lost their lives and almost 100 have suffered serious injuries on south-west roads so far this year.

But Western region division two road safety manager Acting Senior Sergeant Chris Asenjo says that’s just too many.

“We’ve had seven people die already on south-west roads this year in both rural and urban settings. That’s too many,” he said.

“We’re working towards reducing that to zero.”

But he admitted that police expected the number of deaths to rise, knowing that statistically each year about a dozen people lose their lives in the south-west.

“We’re expecting more fatalities on our roads. We’re expecting a lot more people to be seriously injured in a collision,” he said.

“This stuff is life-changing.”

Acting Senior Sergeant Asenjo, who had to attend one of those accidents, has spoken out about the impact of road trauma in the hope that no more lives are lost on our roads this year.

In 2017, 11 people lost their lives on south-west roads. 

Seven have died so far this year, the same number as last year.

“We haven’t improved thus far,” he said.

“We’re hoping to have a better end to the year.”

TAC statistics show that the number of deaths on country roads were five times higher than on metropolitan roads and nearly half of all road fatalities happen on 100 and 110km/h rural roads. 

“The  majority of the roads in country Victoria are what we call high-speed country roads and the speed limit is  generally 100km/h,” Acting Senior Sergeant Asenjo said.

“If you come off the road at 100 km/h there’s a likelihood you will collide with something, whether it be a tree or a fence another car.

“We’re working to make roads safe by installing guard rails and other devices when you come off the road.

“Expect to be drug or alcohol tested and expect to have your speed checked by radar or laser when driving on a rural road.

“We will be out there to make the roads safe.”

He urged drivers to change their behavior for the sake of their loved ones and friends.

SES manager of regional operations Andrew Murton said the Warrnambool unit, which was one of 103 across the state, was one of the busiest. He said the SES had respond to about 1400 road rescue calls during the past financial year and 400 of those were  in the south-west.

“I think for us that’s 400 too many,” Mr Murton said. 

“Our Warrnambool unit is one of the busiest attending over 40 road rescue incidents.”

So far this year 170 people have lost their lives on Victorian roads compared to 198 at the same time last year.

A horrific weekend on south-west roads has prompted emergency services to shine a spotlight on just what it takes to respond to a road accident.

Western region division two road safety manager Acting Senior Sergeant Chris Asenjo said it had been a significant weekend for road trauma with two lives lost and a number of serious injuries requiring patients to be flown to Melbourne hospitals.

So on Thursday, Warrnambool police along with Ambulance Victoria’s HEMS 4 helicopter and road crew paramedics stood alongside firefighters and SES volunteers at the airport to highlight the trauma of road crashes.

“If you’re involved in a serious motor vehicle collision on a high-speed country road there’s a likelihood that you’re going to be trapped in the car and the SES are going to have to come and cut you out of the car,” Acting Senior Sergeant Asenjo said.

“And you can probably guarantee, if you’re seriously injured, a trip in the air ambulance to Melbourne.

“If you’re unlucky you’ll die.”

Police will be out in force until Tuesday for the statewide Operation Furlong with officers targeting drink, drug and speeding drivers as well as those who are distracted, fatigued or incorrectly using seatbelts. 

Drivers have also been warned that tough new penalties for drivers caught doing the wrong thing came into effect on Friday.

Acting Senior Sergeant Asenjo said penalties for all driving offences had increased.

The changes include drivers who exceed the speed limit by 25 km/h who will lose their licence for three months instead of one.

Police will also now have the power to impound the vehicles of drivers who are unlicensed, suspended or disqualified on their first offence.