More than half of those who died on south-west roads this year were aged 30 or under

The Transport Accident Commission's road trauma statistics show the overall number of those killed on Victorian roads has sharply fallen from 146 at the same time last year to 111 this year.

But it's a different story in young drivers.

So far this year, 25 people aged between 30 and 39 have lost their lives, up from 16 last year, while 14 people between 26 and 29 have died (up from 11 to June 28 last year).

In the south-west, seven people have lost their lives on the region's roads in 2020.

Three occurred in Warrnambool, two in Moyne, one in Corangamite and one in the Southern Grampians shire.

More than half of those who died were aged 30 or under.

One victim was just 18.

The teenager was killed in a two-vehicle accident at Noorat in February.

The crash occurred just two days before a 34-year-old Melbourne barrister suffered extensive injuries in a cycling accent at Dennington.

He passed away in late February.

The two fatal accidents happened in the same fortnight as a crash that took the life of a 28-year-old man at Woorndoo, and another the following night that killed a 41-year-old man near Allansford.

Sergeant Martin Flannery, of the Warrnambool police highway patrol unit, said the region's road toll was more than just a number.

"It's a tragedy," he said.

"I've been in the highway patrol temporarily for a few months and I've attended a fatality and a serious injury collision and that tragedy certainly isn't lost on me.

"And I'm sure it's not lost on all of the volunteers and emergency services who attend these things.

"It's a devastating event that families, friends and loved ones have to deal with for the rest of their lives."

Road safety campaigner John Maher, who has spent much of the last two decades imploring students about the dangers on the roads, said he was stunned at the state's soaring road toll of drivers aged below 39.

He said it was clear complacency was the key factor in a spike in Victoria's 'lives lost' road toll, despite lockdown restrictions seeing many cars off the road.

"I am staggered at the number of deaths on our roads despite the lockdown," Mr Maher said.

"You can't take things for granted, every driver must play their role and keep to the speed limit. If it says 100km/h do no go over 100km/h, if it says 60km/h do not go over 60km/h. It's not that difficult."

Following the death of his daughter Carmen in a road crash 25 years ago, Mr Maher began travelling the country visiting schools and sharing the story of when he lost his daughter.

The Ballarat man has visited Warrnambool over the years, including in 2012 when he brought a number of Warrnambool College student to tears while sharing his painful experiences.

"It's like anything, as you get further away from when you heard the message, the message waters down and you don't think about it as much," Mr Maher said.

"When you have been driving for 15 years, you're say you're a good driver and you don't have to worry about being cautious and you say you won't have a crash.

"On our roads, you are never past the danger period. Grandparents die on our roads. You are driving a 1.5 tonne vehicle. Whether you live or die from a car crash is 100 per cent based on luck."

- With The Courier

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