Last year marked the third consecutive year the number of road deaths increased, a trend that has alarmed emergency services, government and road safety bodies.

The number of people killed on the roads was 39 higher than the previous year, a 16 per cent increase.

“What we are talking about today is so much more than numbers, this is personal, however I feel that many in our community will only truly realise and comprehend road trauma if or when it happens to them,” Victoria Police road policing command Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer said.

“I don’t want this to be the case, I don’t want another family to experience the pain I have seen in too many families’ eyes.”

While every road death is one too many, the local policing division was able to deliver better news.

The division, which covers a large swathe of central Victoria, saw a significant drop in fatalities, from 24 in 2015 to 13 last year.

In the Bendigo area five people were killed on roads in the municipality last year, the same as 2015.

Sergeant Geoff Annand from the highway patrol unit said police had worked hard on the region’s roads to target dangerous behaviours that led to deaths and encourage safer driving.

“We implore drivers not to be complacent, and to continue driving in a safe manner, and concentrate at all times,” Sergeant Annand said.