The number of fatalities on Northern Grampians' roads increased significantly in 2020, while there was a decrease in road fatalities across Victoria.
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Four people died on roads in four separate incidents near Stawell and Great Western in 2020, according to the Transport Accident Commission's latest statistics.
There was just one fatality in 2019.
Of the four fatalities, three were single-vehicle incidents and one was a collision. One of the fatalities was a motorcyclist.
Northern Grampians Acting Sergeant Jason Brown said speed and fatigue were two of the main factors contributing to fatalities.
"Speeding, careless driving, overtaking carelessly and erratic behaviour are all concerns," he said.
The increase came despite Victoria recording 19 per cent fewer deaths last year, falling from 266 to 213.
Victoria Police partly attributed the decrease in deaths to having fewer people on the roads in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns.
Western Region Road Policing Senior Sergeant Brendan Broadbent however said it did not necessarily have the same impact in western Victoria.
"We didn't have the same traffic volume coming through the highways, but we did see a slight increase in higher speeds (speeding)," he said.
"We saw vehicles speeding up a little bit more with less traffic on the road slowing them down.
"Certainly in a number of incidents, there was a fatal collision on a straight stretch of road where speed was a factor."
While the number of road fatalities decreased state-wide, Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Libby Murphy said road trauma per 10,000 vehicles was actually higher than usual, owing to having less vehicles on the road.
She said it was also a concern to see regional and rural Victorians over-represented in the statistics, with 126 deaths coming on regional roads compared to 87 in Melbourne.
Assistant Commissioner Murphy said a lack of traffic on roads had also resulted in an alarming increase in dangerous speeding above 145 kilometres an hour.
She said 34 per cent of deaths were caused by people speeding.
"We saw some really significant and concerning behaviours when the lockdown was occurring," she said.
"The levels of speed over 145 kilometres an hour was staggering. That's backed off now that there are more vehicles on the road.
"What I'm asking each and every one of you to do is to slow down, be courteous, be patient.
"I challenge you to do your part, be good humans, and understand the impact you can have on other road users."
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