THE Bendigo region has had more than its fair share of tragedy this year, according to the latest road toll figures.
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Twenty-four people have been killed and 200 seriously injured so far this year in the Bendigo region, which includes Campaspe, Central Goldfields and Macedon Ranges.
One hundred and forty one people died on rural Victorian roads in 2013 and 127 have died so far this year.
Speaking outside Bendigo Police Station yesterday morning about Victoria Police's Summer Stay campaign, Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill said the Bendigo region was in the unenviable position of leading all others in deaths on Victoria’s roads this year.
He said Country Victorians were three times more likely to be killed and 40 per cent more likely to be seriously injured on the state’s roads than their city counterparts.
"It's a common misconception that the people dying on country roads are outsiders who get into trouble because they don't know the local roads, but the reality is almost two thirds of these deaths are from local communities," he said.
"We need people to stop speeding, use their seatbelts and to stop taking needless risks with their life and the lives of their loved ones."
He said police were doing everything they could to prevent more road trauma, including launching Victoria Police's Summer Stay campaign on Friday.
He said more than 7000 breath tests had been done in the Bendigo region since Friday.
"Over the course of the Summer Stay campaign you will see a highly visible police presence in this area and if you are taking risks on the road the message is you can be caught anywhere at anytime," he said.
"In the three days since the campaign launched we have already detected 229 offences, each one of these could have ended in death or serious injury and that is unacceptable."
Bendigo Highway Patrol Sergeant Geoff Annand said the road toll figures for the central Victoria region were concerning.
"We're 10 up on last year’s figures and eight over the five year average," he said.
"Every one of them is tragic."
Sergeant Annand said since Friday night to midnight Sunday, Bendigo Highway Patrol had conducted almost 1600 preliminary breath tests and 30 preliminary drug tests on the region's roads.
He said the patrol had also intercepted 165 cars and issued 94 received infringement notice or notices of unworthiness over the weekend.
As well as a number of other offences, 52 were for speeding, 11 were for notice of unworthiness, six were for unregistered vehicles, five were for lighting offences and five were unlicensed.
"The highest speed for the weekend was a 22-year-old Golden Square man travelling on Calder Highway at Harcourt North doing 162 km/hr in a 100 km/hr zone," Sergeant Annand said.
He said the message about the road toll required all members of the community to be onboard.
"People offending may not be the people reading the paper but may have family friends who should help get the message through to them," he said.